


unwaver [illumi zoldyck]

by e_nvchrno



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Assassins, Canon Compliant, Creepy Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter), Dating, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hisoka's Bungee Gum Nen Ability (Hunter X Hunter), Hunter Exam (Hunter X Hunter), Illumi Tries to Be a Better Human, Marriage, Nen (Hunter X Hunter), Poor Killua (Hunter X Hunter), Yorkshin City | Yorknew City (Hunter X Hunter), elemental powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:43:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_nvchrno/pseuds/e_nvchrno
Summary: ✁・・・❝ A sigh escaped Illumi's lips as he stared at him dead in the eyes, "Hisoka,""Hm?"There was something hard in his tone, frightening,"The next time you touch her, I'll kill you."
Relationships: Hisoka & Illumi Zoldyck, Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter)/Original Character(s), Illumi Zoldyck/Original Character(s), Illumi Zoldyck/Original Female Character(s), Illumi Zoldyck/Reader, feitan - Relationship
Comments: 54
Kudos: 272





	1. Illumi Zoldyck x And x Emiko Portor

After all the losses she has faced, there was no more sentimentality for the dead. It was easier if she didn't think of them as people at all. Indeed, not everyone could do that. Their senses of humour would become some warped and darkly macabre.

She forced herself to laugh at their silly expressions. She thought about how she and her brother would toss them into mass graves with the others and gave them rude names. They would steal from them without guilt.

But this was not one of those jobs. 

Feeling a set of eyes on her, she questioned, "What are you looking at?" She tilted her head to the side to meet darker eyes than hers. Darker in colour, void of emotions. 

"Illumi?" She asked again when he did not respond. She let her grip loosen on her weapon, a double-bladed scythe, and it perished into thin air. 

"Nothing at all," he responded nonchalantly, moving his gaze towards the pile of corpses, "Job well done. Shall we go?"

She nodded, and pulled out her cellphone, punching in some numbers before lifting the dial to her ear, "Hello? Yes, this is Emiko Portor and Illumi Zoldyck. We've completed our mission." 

Emiko nodded a couple times. Then she hung up and said, "They'll transfer you the money."

Glancing once more at the corpses, Emiko could barely keep the tears from brimming in her eyes. If her brother saw her, he would most likely poke fun at how sensitive she was in that strange inverted language he devised. 

Killing was hard. No, killing was hard when she didn't have a reason. 

She felt a lump in her throat and let out a muffled sob. Although it sounded nothing like a sob, but more like a mixture of a cough and a grunt.

Somehow, she always manged to stop the little droplets of tears from tinkling down her face. 

Killing was harder when it literally hurt her.

Emiko's scythe had two main uses. The first, to wound her opponent, or perhaps directly kill them.

The second, was trickier. This was mainly used for the purpose of torture, or on more difficult opponents. Once an opponent has been cut, all she had to do was consume it - may it be a small drop or otherwise. A symbol in a shape of a ' **x** ' would engrave itself on her forehead then, which created the link between herself and her opponent. In this stage, she was essentially a living voodoo doll for her opponent - any damage that she inflicted on her self would also be inflicted on her opponents. There was only one rule - The person she chose to impose this curse on had to die at the end of it all or her injuries would never heal. The symbol on her forehead would be present until the opponent was dead. It was from years and years of experience and learning about the human body that she knew of all the places to inflict pain, enough to cause agony but not enough to kill. When this was activated, she's immortal, however the pain she inflicted on herself would be ten times more painful than what she would normally experience.

After this ritual, her body tissues would regenerate at speed that is dependent upon her aura utilisation. 

This was called " _Blood Linkage_ ".

Emiko clutched her right arm, a deep wound was sliced in the flesh. It was heavily oozing out blood and there was a bluish-purple bruise forming around it. She clamped her eyes shut, lightly pressed her index finger against the centre of the cut and sucked in a sharp breath as the pain spiraled across her body. In a few seconds though, the colourful spots that had contoured the sides of her eyes had disappeared, replaced by a feeling of bliss.

She caught Illumi looking at her.

In this moment, she wanted nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around her. 

Almost twenty years of knowing one another, ten years of working together, they have barely exchanged a moment of profound affection. He had once uttered an "Are you okay?" and "Why are you crying again? We succeeded." during their missions, but that was all there is to it. 

Illumi stared at her and blinked, keeping his eyes shut for just a moment more. In this brief moment, he was thinking. 

He couldn't recall many moments where this did not happen. 

When they were little, she had crushed a butterfly with an accidental arm swing and nursed it back to health with tears in her eyes. On her first mission with Illumi and his father, she had defeated their opponents with ease, yet she looked so, so sad. 

Even so, he never had a clue regarding the course of action to take when this happened. What would a normal person do? It was not like he didn't know that comfort was the one thing that one must give when another was sad. He was just having trouble doing that. 

He had once seen his groundskeeper, Zebro, put his arms around an unfamiliar woman whom appeared to hold a large amount of compassion for him. They seemed quite happy. He hadn't reported them for some reason, a part of him refusing to do so, and so Zebro was alive and well, unexecuted. 

Should he do the same at this moment? He wasn't sure. After all, he has not received anything like that in the past. The closest was perhaps a pat on the shoulder. All he knew right now is that when he looked at her, he had an urge to say something. Anything. He hated it when she used " _Blood Linkage_ ". 

How could a person be so ferocious in battle yet so fragile afterwards? The thought puzzled him. These episodes of hers usually lasted around four minutes, if not three and a half. Usually, by the time Illumi has decided on the best course of action, she had already regained her composure. 

All of a sudden, Emiko's alarm went out like an ear-splitting wail. She jumped in surprise before furiously smashing the ' _Stop_ ' button.

"Alright. Time to go," she reminded, rubbing her eyes dry of any waterworks, "Come on."

"Go? Where?" He asked.

"The Hunter Exam, of course. Have you forgotten? Come on!" She urged, tugging at Illumi's pointer finger. He eyed their hands before following her out.


	2. Phase One x Gittarackur x And x Tonpa

Emiko and Illumi both had two different reasons for taking the Hunter Exam. For Emiko, being a part of the Hunter Association would help her in the long run. First of all, almost no legal responsibility for murder. Second of all, access to the secret Hunters-Only Website, where secret intelligence about various subjects could be purchased. Illumi, mostly, was there to keep an eye on his younger Zoldyck sibling, Killua.

Out of the corners of his eyes, Illumi could see the glimmer of excitement in Emiko's eyes as they walked through the Zaban City markets, easily enticed by the jewels and exotic street food.

"It's through here," their navigator lead them, gesturing to a small, almost unnoticeable restaurant. He directed them into the small diner, the scent of freshly fried katsu wafting through the air as they made their way into the back room.

"One in every ten thousand. That's the number of first timers to have made it this far is very far. You've done extremely well for first timers," their navigator commended.

"Thank you!" Emiko grinned from ear to ear and bowed politely, "We're both assassins, so it would be quite tragic if we didn't."

Their navigator's eyes grew wide in shock and fear, "A-Ah, I see."

"Kidding," Emiko poked her tongue out, "Thank you again."

The moment the door closed, the room started to let out a deep rumble.

"Why do you scare people like that?" Illumi asked out of curiosity.

Emiko tapped her chin and she hummed happily, "I like seeing the looks on their faces."

She circled the room, scanning it for any suspicious activities.

"It appears this room is an elevator," Illumi observed, "Okay. Time to use my needles."

Emiko watched in wild fascination as Illumi pricked his face with his yellow needles, not once flinching at their sharpness. His appearance quickly became highly distorted by countless pins, barely recognizable.

"I've put myself under the name of Gittarackur," he explained. Emiko doubled over with laughter, pointing feebly with a shaky finger.

"Y-You- look really- real-ly funny," She let out several more brief outbursts of laughter before she quickly brought them under control. She cleared her throat, "Sorry, Gittarackur."

The elevator made a 'Ding!' before the doors slid open. They entered an old tunnel which curled away cold into indefinite dark, the light that showed the rough walls dwindling and blinking. Immediately, the absence of natural light, combined with the forceful scent of someone's cheap perfume, almost overwhelmed Emiko's senses. It was already filled with a couple hundred people, murmuring amongst each other. Their faces all held the same expressions - a condensed mixture of worry and determination. At their arrival, heads snapped towards them, eyeing them up and down as if sizing them up. It was a strange, tense atmosphere.

"Are we supposed to fight all of them? I ... wouldn't hate that," Emiko admitted, muttering the last part to herself.

"Hello. Please take a number," a green skinned creature with a bean-like appearance handed each of them a badge, "Be sure you wear this on your chest at all times. Be careful not to lose it."

"Got it, thanks!" Emiko made a salute motion with her right hand, clipping her number onto her shirt. Illumi was number 301, and she was 302. Illumi motioned towards the wall, voicelessly announcing he would look for Killua. Emiko nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Knowing one another for that long truly had its benefits.

"You seem new around here!"

Emiko twisted her neck to identify the unfamiliar voice, "Oh, you can tell I'm new?"

"Yup. After all, this will be my thirty-fifth attempt, so you could say I'm an exam veteran. I've taken it thirty five times!" A short, fat man with tanned skin approached her, his thick eyebrows wiggling as he proudly said, "My name's Tonpa. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Oh, thank you," Emiko beamed, shaking his hand, "My name's Emiko."

Tonpa proceeded to describe several participants, those to look out for, and those who were fellow veterans like himself. Emiko nodded, taking in all provided information with a grain of salt.

"Right! To mark our acquaintanceship, why don't we toast to a little something?" Tonpa suggested, fishing around his satchel and handing out a can of orange juice.

"Thanks!" Emiko twisted the can open and sipped loudly, "This is pretty good."

Tonpa stared at her expectantly, a giddy gleam in his eyes as he practically spurted out electrical sparks of energy.

"Oh!" Emiko gasped and dropped the can loudly, its contents spilling everywhere. She clutched her stomach with both arms as she doubled over, coughing, "I- My stomach- What's happening?! T-Tonpa - "

With a large smirk, Tonpa snickered, "Oops! I must have mixed -" But the smug look on his face faded in a split second when Emiko slowly rose, a cruel sneer forming on her face as she leaned forward, eyes bearing straight into his,

"...That's what you wanted me to say right?"

Emiko could've sworn the life in Tonpa's eyes faded for a moment, before his breath became ragged and harsh, "I- I'm so sorry!"

In an instant, the frightening look in Emiko's eyes dissipated into friendly waves of laughter, "It's okay. I've been trained to endure all kinds of poisons," she assured, "This weird laxative won't affect me."

A defeated look resided in Tonpa's eyes. Emiko was about to ask him another question when a shrill scream erupted through the air. It belonged to a man dressed in a gladiator outfit, looking as if ready to fight in the Coliseum. His face frozen in horror as he helplessly watched his arms dissipate into tiny red specks.

"Ah... How peculiar," mocked a voice, "His arms seem to have become flower petals. No smoke and mirrors here. Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize."

Emiko's eyes widened at the sight of him, "Wh-"

"That Psychopath's back again, " Tonpa grumbled in annoyance.

A chill went down Emiko's spine as she craned her neck to see him, and there, clad in his signature loose white pants and crop top, stood -

"Hisoka?!"She cried out, immediately earning his undivided attention. He made her way towards her.

"Oh, my dear, Emiko," Hisoka purred, his heels clacking with every step he took, "What a surprise."

"Is it, really? What are you doing here?" She retorted, placing a hand on her hip.

The said man placed a hand on his chin, seemingly deep in thought, but from the insincerity in his eyes, she knew better. She thought back to the first time she noticed him hovering around her. He was the newest Troupe member then, and she could still recall the way he had gripped her arm as he requested a fight, his nails had dug into her flesh so ferociously it left her bruised for a week.

"You know him?" Tonpa yelped in disbelief, "That guy?! B-But... No one likes him. You should stay away from him."

"Yeah, it's a bit difficult, you see, we're sort of in the same, dysfunctional, yet not blood-related... 'Family'," Emiko said, air quoting around 'Family', "If I'm not mistaken, he killed someone last year?"

"Yeah. He killed an examiner he didn't like," Tonpa affirmed, then did a double take, "F-Family?! What do you mean?"

"Typical," Emiko shook her head in disdain.

Hisoka pouted and shrugged, playing innocent, "The examiner was getting on my nerves, what can I say?" Then he looked at Tonpa with his sharp, golden eyes and gave him a wicked smile. Turning towards Emiko, he tilted his head slightly in amusement, "Why are you here?"

"To join the Hunter Association of course," she smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him, "What more could a girl want?"

A low rumble reverberated in Hisoka's throat, but before he had a chance to respond with a witty remark, a rambunctious blaring of a small alarm clock jarred everyone out of their state of minds, jolting their attention towards the source.

Seemingly pleased with the attention he had captured, the man with pale lavender curls stood tall and announced, "I apologise for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin." Although seemingly mouthless, his thin curly moustache bobbed up and down as he spoke, "A final caution, if you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead.Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise please exit via the elevator behind you."

The silence seemed to stretch as no sound came from anyone, yet everyone was moving, shuffling around but not talking.

Without another word, the purple haired man turned on his heel and started walking in gigantic, yet constant pace, his limbs moving frigidly like a soldier. Little by little, he started to pick up his pace.

"I neglected to introduce myself. My name is Satotz, a proctor for the Hunter Exam and Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the Exam's Second Phase."

"Second Phase? What about the first?" A bald man with feather eyebrows called Hanzo asked, as Emiko recalled from Tonpa's description. He seemed like he would be a fair opponent.

"It has already begun," Satotz answered.

"Ah," Tonpa exclaimed, trying to catch up to Emiko, "As expected."

Emiko laughed in a short exhale, "This'll be fun. Oh, Tonpa, this is I- Gittarackur." She jabbed a thumb at Illumi who was jogging in a steady pace next to her.

Illumi said nothing, but he brought his hand up in a motionless wave, his head rattling around like a bobblehead doll as he ran.

"He's literally oozing out peril..." Tonpa whispered, his eyes wild with fear.

"I know!" Emiko grinned, and with that, Tonpa slowed his pace and struck up conversation with other applicants. When he was out of sight, she asked, "Did you find him?"

Illumi nodded again, his eyes darting towards a small, familiar figure, a coy smile playing on the boy's lips as he engaged in a heated conversation with another green haired boy his age. It had only been ten minutes, but one by one, people have already started dropping like flies, unable to follow Satotz's grueling pace.

Emiko could feel every fibre in her body beat with exhilaration, "Alright, let's get this over with then."


	3. End x of x Phase One

"Emi- nee-san! I didn't know you were taking the Hunter Exam!" Killua exclaimed, picking up his skateboard. His smile faded momentarily, "Did my mom ask you to keep an eye on me?"

"No, she didn't," Emiko answered truthfully. It was Illumi that Kikyo had requested to keep an eye out for Killua, not her. 

"Oh, in that case, great. I really thought this exam would be more challenging, but Gon and I made it through without breaking a sweat," he said with a grin. 

"Well, with your training..." Emiko rolled her eyes, "I'd be surprised if you did."

"Guys, this is Emi- nee-san," Killua proceeded to introduce her to a few other participants - Gon, a bright, green haired kid sprouting with energy, Leorio, a fairly tall young man with a pair of tea shade sunglasses, and Kurapika, a teenager with medium blond hair and brown eyes. The latter seemed somewhat familiar to Emiko, yet she couldn't put a finger on who he was. She was certain she never had a meaningful exchange with him before.

When Killua was only seven, it had been incredibly difficult to convince Kikyo that she could be his friend, and at the same time, not hinder his training. Kikyo balked at first, so accustomed to her rigid mindset and her fiery temper. In the midst of Killua throwing a tantrum and blinking back his tears, Emiko had swallowed her own pride, absorbing Kikyo's words and then responded more than reacted, dampening the situation rather than adding to the flames. Furthermore, she had added looking after Killua when his father sent him to Heavens' Arena as a compromise. And so before she knew it, everything was normal again. As normal as a family of assassins could be anyways.

Emiko found herself back to Illumi after the short introductions, who was still disguised and unrecognizable to others, and leaving Gon and Killua to their heated debate about who completed the run faster.

Satotz went on to explain the Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers' Swamp, a home to many bizarre animals, yet a territory they required to pass in order to complete the first phase.

"Don't fall for it!" Cried out a voice, so full of despair. A man covered in bruises and burns revealed himself from underneath the fog, his finger accusingly prodded at Satotz, "He's lying to you! He's an impostor. He's not an examiner, I'm the real examiner. Look at this," With a loud heave, the man tugged on an arm of a creature, attached to a frail looking body of a monkey, its face a copy of Satotz' features.

"He looks just like Satotz-san!" Gon exclaimed.

"It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwells in the Numere Wetlands!"

"A Man-Faced Ape?" Leorio yelled with incredulity.

The mysterious man continued, "They love the taste of human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise humans to follow them. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!"

"Bastard..."

"He certainly doesn't walk like a human..."

"Shit, really?!"

"Crap, what do we do?"

Murmurs broke within the crowd at once, uncertain glances thrown around as they debated with their own suspicions. 

"Not true," Emiko declared, turning all eyes on her. Before anyone knew what was happening, her scythe had materialized fully. Making sure she had infused it with enough _Nen_ , she snapped her wrist, launching her weapon with a forehand throw across the field, past the mysterious man, and then she yanked it back swiftly, cutting the body in half in a blink of an eye. The man pummeled into the ground, his ribs bursting as though made of glass. A plumage of red bursted past his lips.

At the exact same time, a fierce flick of a hand sent a sharp flash of the Eight of Diamonds flying in Satotz's way, which he had caught with ease.

Silence clung to the group like a poisonous cloud that at any moment could choke the life from them. 

Hisoka chuckled, shuffling his deck of cards, "I see, I see. That settles it. You're the real one."

"He is," Emiko seconded.

"How did you know?!" Gon gasped at the dead man's body, his expression full of youthful wonder, his eyes littered with questions as he faced Emiko.

"Well, it's quite easy. Examiners are Pro-Hunters, specifically picked out by the Board, so if he were our real examiner, no matter how battered and bruised, he'd still be able to block that attack," she cleared up. She tilted her head to meet Hisoka's eyes for confirmation, but there was a manic look in them that made her hair stand upright. 

"That's right. He blocked my attack seamlessly," Hisoka said.

Intuitively, Illumi stepped in front of Emiko. Hisoka's predatory glare triggered a feral response in him, where he protectively stepped closer. He could tell it was no surprise what Hisoka wanted from her, but the aura he was currently producing filled Illumi with a kind of annoyance he hadn’t experienced in a long while. The aura kept thickening - morphing from merely dangerous, to outright lustful. 

_I could probably kill him,_ Illumi seriously considered, _Or rip off an arm._

But Emiko placed her hand on his arm and she smiled up at him, assuring him that it was okay. Even though he couldn't utter many words as Gittarackur, he felt his irritation dwindle down.

"I shall take that as a compliment. However, if you shall attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner and you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?" Satotz said.

"Sure," Hisoka said calmly. 

Without further ado, the first phase of the exam resumed.

The trees were veiled in the lightest of mists, and as Emiko's eyes travelled to the edge of the woodland, they became silhouettes against a blanket of white, as if it was only daylight where she stood, or if she were encircled by twilight.

The further she was engulfed in the mist, the more she felt like the air was so brittle it could snap, and if it didn't, someone eventually would.

After a while, she said, "Illumi, I think Hisoka's in trouble. I can't sense his presence."

"We can leave him," he responded absentmindedly. 

"Hey, look, butterflies," Emiko pointed at the whirl of pink ahead of them. There were swarms of iridescent butterfly wings delicately flapping their petal-wings as they fluttered around them.

"Hypnosis Butterflies," Illumi corrected. Eager to leave their strange hypnotic power, he held her waist and his feet pounded the soil with intensity as he bolted down the path. Emiko gasped at his abruptness when she felt that her feet were no longer on the ground. When he confirmed that they were safe, relatively, he set her down and continued to set the pace.

Still catching her breath from the sudden streak away from danger, she could still feel the place where Illumi's hand was, warmth radiating through her body. She could feel the heat growing in her cheeks.

"Can I hold your hand?" She asked hesitantly.

Illumi seemed befuddled by her question, "Why? It'll slow us down." 

"Right, of course. ... You're right. Never mind. Stupid question," she shook her head and hurried on, with a hot blush. 

With the slightest of effort, they outran the rest of the group barely breaking a sweat. Not panting in the least, Illumi leaned against a tree, faraway from the finish line, waiting for the others to finish.

"Oh!" he said suddenly, as if he just had a light bulb moment in his head, startling Emiko, "Did you still want to hold my hand?"

He didn't wait for her to answer and interlaced their fingers together.


	4. Flashback in Time x and x Friendship

_The earliest memory Emiko had was her first trip to Yorknew City. She was perhaps five or six then, dressed in the Zoldycks' finest and smallest kimono._

_Zeno and Silva Zoldyck walked in front of her, long strides, heads high, and she remembered thinking that one day she would be on par with them. On her left was Kikyo, who occasionally glanced at her out of precaution._

_At this point in time, Emiko had only lived with them for three years. Silva had decided to take her in - something extremely uncommon in a family of assassins, but they had intended for her to be an object for Illumi to train his skills on. She was after all, one of the strongest that Meteor City had to offer._

_The first time Kikyo laid her hands on Emiko to experiment was a memory Emiko could never forget. She could recall vividly how her heart thundered and how she was wheezing to the extent that she could taste blood, she had strapped her into the chair and plunged a needle into her veins. The main veins of her wrist that had gotten so much abuse, needle after needle after needle. She had blankly stared up at the ceiling and hoped that one day, she would be deprived of so much blood that she would just drop dead to the ground. She was two at the time, and had no mark in this world. The pain felt like an endless abyss. One too many pieces of literature told her that, that once the pain alleviates, there would be more on the other side. She had always wondered what the other side is._

_However upon careful observation, Zeno had suggested otherwise, imperceptibly impressed by her mastery of techniques at such a young age. She was able to open one testing gate at five years old. She was a Specialist, with the potential to exceed expectations, given the right training. And so, Emiko would soon become a part of this family of assassins._

_On her right was Illumi, who kept a straight face as he marched forward, not displaying a hint of emotion on his pale face. Emiko and Illumi were not well acquainted in the slightest at this point in time. There was the occasional "You don't look pale today." and "Is the poison still in your system?", but Emiko refused to speak to him unless necessary. Illumi too, did not think it was a necessity. They were training partners. That was all._

_The first time he asked for her background she opened her mouth to tell him, but she had stopped herself before a sound could come out. She thought perhaps it was best she didn't tell him. They were only sparring partners. Names and such did not matter._ _The likelihood that something could grow from their encounters were very slim._

_So, she had decided that it was best to not tell him. At least, not right away. "Maybe I'll tell you my last name and other things if you prove to me you are worthy of hearing it," she had stated, a small giggle on her words as he took in a deep breath._

_He remembered thinking back then, a little unsure why he was filled with so much determination. She wanted him to prove himself to her then fine. He'd best get started then._

_In the memory of this present day, they were to visit one of the Zeno's acquaintances, and Emiko could not help but notice how different the place was compared to the Zoldyck estate._

_As a young kid, she was surprised and maybe even a little scared. It was exotic._

_Even from the outside, ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding stone path, which led directly to the colossal structure. The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the chilly autumn wind. At its threshold stood the delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence._

_Inside though, was what Emiko mainly remembered. It was glittery with all different colors. Swirly pure-gold lines were everywhere, displaying the owner's wealth._

_She remembered going back to the estate that day and asked Kikyo if they could have gold everywhere. Kikyo had laughed, warming up to the little girl bit by bit. "No, sweetheart." She proceeded to pat Emiko's head and ushered her to training._

_They had a strict schedule with bursts of spontaneity at times._

_Morning was breakfast, the way down from her room to the dining table was full of traps and dangerous beams of laser, set up by Kikyo herself. During breakfast, sometimes Kikyo would attack Emiko and Illumi by firing tiny projectiles from her fan. The only option was to counter attack or dodge. Emiko always did the former, using her skill as an air elementalist to change the direction of the projectiles._

_It was around this time Milluki was born, and in a few years, Emiko would assist Milluki with his hacking endeavours, occasionally getting him to complete training with her. He was the one that found a small database of Emiko's background, and with that, discovering that she had a brother._

_Emiko followed quietly to the training room. No matter how many times she had been there, she always felt the same way. Adrenaline would flood her system, pumping and beating like it was trying to escape. Her body wanted to either run for the safety of the hills or to the crate of the earth, but instead she remained. A part of her felt like she belonged. She didn't need to leave. She needed to get stronger._

_The moment she stepped into the room, her body jerked sideways, her head barely avoiding the tremendous force of a large fist. Emiko shakily looked at what used to be a brick wall - now a mess of a small crater. Her heart pounded in her chest. She already knew that training was dangerous and could potentially kill her, but she couldn't help but feel a ping of shock every time this happened._

_"Fear is part of being human, Emiko, it's the precursor to bravery," Silva stated, as if reading her mind, "We need it. It wakes us up to what needs to be done. So feel it, own it, let it ignite your thoughts."_

_Illumi was unfazed by this exchange. He too had to dodge a powerful punch, which he did with ease. He watched his father inject a needle of bright yellow liquid into Emiko's arm, then his. 10 milligrams of maitotoxin, just enough to haze their minds._

_"Today, you're doing something different," announced Silva, "Illumi, I want you to take Emiko around the Estate. The gardens, specifically." Emiko and Illumi looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to say more but all he did was cock his head towards the exit, and that was the kids' cue to leave._

_Emiko and Illumi made their way down towards the gardens wordlessly, until Emiko broke the ice by saying, "My favorite flowers are peonies. Do you have them?" She mostly spent her days in the gardens._

_"We have all of them," Illumi answered._

_"May I have one?"_

_"Sure. Take them."_

_That was the gardens that Illumi and Emiko would run around in during their spare time in the next few months. The scent of lilac and roses would waft through their noses as they raced to see who would collapse earlier from poison._

_Silence._

_"You should grow out your hair," Emiko uttered for the sake of conversation._

_"Why?"_

_"If we braid our hair together, we'd have Yin and Yang," she pointed out, twirling her hair around her fingers. She considered cutting it, it was getting in the way of practice._

_Silence._

_"Father has been extremely kind in giving us practice today," Illumi spoke, tilting his head in the direction of the garden._

_Emiko didn't need to ask what he meant. The entrance to the garden was filled with a mob of loudness, men chattering away amongst themselves as they approached closer._

_"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe that's why he wanted us to walk around? I could try my new powers!" Emiko grinned, but her head was still throbbing from the poison. If Illumi was affected, he did not show it at all._

_"What is this?! Who are you guys?" One of the people in the mob hollered when he spotted them._

_Judging by the way the gang members didn't rush at them en-masse, Emiko knew the Zoldycks' reputation hasn't preceded them. But all they saw right now were two kids, both unarmed._

_"Oi, boss, they're just kids, what is this?!" One of the members barked out with a barbaric sneer._

_The gang leader smirked nastily, "Killing them will be easy then. I expected tougher opponents. You guys can handle them."_

_On a flick of the gang leader's hand, three tough guys, each with a large sword, stepped forward._

_Before the leader could even put his hand down, Illumi already had them bleeding out on the dirt covered pathway._

_Emiko gaped at him in awe. She knew Illumi held great power. She never remembered being scared of him however. Nor did she ever think she would._

_"What do you say we make a game out of this?" Emiko suggested, "There are around one hundred and fifty of them. If I manage to kill at least seventy six before you do, I win."_

_Illumi appeared to be thinking about this, a small frown on his face as he did so. His expression then lightened, "Okay."_

_And with that, Emiko took a deep breath, focusing on the Nen in her body. With a sharp exhale, she thrusted both hands onto the ground and whispered, "Dark Wind Manipulation."_

_The wind answered, it came in rushing, powerful gusts. The men held their arms up in defence, shielding themselves from its roughness. Dark spirals of air projected itself down from the sky, creating two deadly tornadoes, their impact tearing the ground full of cavities. Her eyes wide open, Emiko swung both arms in front of her, palms almost clapping._

_The group of bandits forced to huddle together as they braced for impact. "What's happening?!" One of them shrieked._

_With the tornadoes circulating around them, they were unable to do anything but let themselves be swung into the the deadly swirls and away from the estate._

_Screams could be heard from outside, and Emiko dusted her hands off proudly, "Done."_

_"What's happening inside?" Illumi queried._

_"They're getting sliced up from the wind. Razors," Emiko explained, "I'm projecting wind in a way that allows me to cut through matter."_

_"Okay, you win."_

_"Wait," Emiko halted, spotting movement within the trees, "Come out."_

_"Alright you found me," chuckled a voice._

_The leader of the gang had not in fact been with his comrades, but had hidden himself out of plain sight._

_Cowardly, Emiko thought._

_The man's gaze flicked towards Illumi,"I'll give you one last chance to hand me some treasure," the leader warned, "One, two-"_

_Before he could reach 'three', missiles of fire launched from his bare hands, aiming towards Illumi. A second after emitting that attack, the leader had rushed forward, a hideous sound as his foot made contact with Illumi's stomach. Emiko's eyes widened. He was an elementalist._

_Unable to react in time, Illumi stumbled onto the ground, a burn mark along his right arm. A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout his body. His stomach ached, and his arm had lost tension. He was about ready to kill this man when Emiko stepped forward, and he could tell by the look on her face that she was more than angry. The way her eyes squinted as she glared reminded him of a pit viper's slit like pupils. Illumi's head was pounding. Was it from the poison? Father had given them twice their normal dosage today._

_Emiko knew she was going to have nail marks on her palms after this fight. White knuckles from clenching her fist too hard, and gritted teeth from effort to remain silent, she stepped in front of Illumi and glared at her opponent. The leader wasted no time to emit another enormous fireball, bolting itself towards her at incredible speed._

_Why was she so angry? She didn't understand. Illumi was not her friend. Illumi was someone she fought with. Someone she occasionally envied. Someone who sometimes asked if she was okay._

_Her face red with suppressed rage and the fireball a few feet away from her, she swung her arms up hastily, an explosion of salt water waves launching her backwards, at the same time neutralizing the fire ball attack._

_Illumi's lips parted slightly in awe at the sight before him. She had conjured up water - possibly from the lake near the estate, but at the time, nor he, his father nor his grandfather knew of this power. She could control air, yes, but another element was a whole different level. He didn't know how he would have dodged that without burning off half the garden. Did she do it to save him? Or their home? Herself?_

_He realised this was his chance - and with untamed speed, he cast three needles into the man's neck. It took less than a second for the large body to crumple onto the ground lifelessly._

_Before Illumi could contemplate further, he heard a small thud._

_"Illumi," Emiko said almost inaudibly. He turned to face her, she had fallen to her knees. She tried to smile, "My last name is Portor. Emiko Portor. I'm from Meteor City. I -"_

_Her smile fell. Her body wobbled, and before her body could make any contact with the ground, Illumi had her in his arms and carried her all the way back home, occasionally stopping to check her pulse. A part of him wanted to ask why she had to do that. He could have protected himself. He could have protected her._

_That was the start of their friendship._


	5. An Unexpected Spar x and x An Unexpected Night

The second phase had been a breeze in itself. In the most literal sense.

Emiko rubbed her eyes gingerly and sat up from her bed. On the bed next to her, Illumi slept peacefully and she made sure to tiptoe as she slipped through the sliding door. 

She could feel the machines vibrating faintly below her feet. The aircraft they were in was perhaps thousands of miles in the air now.

She took in the view from the aircraft, peering down below. In the far distance, the silhouette of the skyline pierced through the warm glow like a jagged mountain ridge. Millions of lights caused the dense mass of skyscrapers glitter. People were needle points and cars were blood cells flowing through the veins of the city. Despite the time, the hustle and bustle never came to a halt. 

“Hey beauty, what are you doing up?” She heard a man say behind her, his footsteps echoing through the halls as he neared.

Pretending not to hear, Emiko decided it would be better just keep walking to go to the toilet as fast as possible and hide. She was too tired to do anything else, and that included killing someone, but it seemed like it was impossible in this moment. 

The man caught her by her wrist and spun her around to face him. Emiko narrowed her eyes at him, letting a sigh escape her lips. She has seen people like him on daily basis, people who tried to flirt with her in the past and were either killed or severely punished. Either by Illumi or herself. Such a nuisance.

“Come on! No need to be shy," the man urged, holding a tight clutch on her wrist. He tried to pin her to the wall -

"What do you think you're doing?"

Before her brain could register what was happening, the man had released his grip, his hand no longer connected to his body. He bawled as he slumped to the floor, grasping at what was left of his arm.

"W-Why?!"Emiko exclaimed, her voice surprisingly steady, considering she was watching an innocent person bleed out.

“It’s unforgivably rude to touch other people’s toys. Besides, it’s only an arm," her rescuer replied. 

She had sensed another's aura, but she didn't realise it would be him, out of all people.

"Hisoka, you - God damn it! Jesus! What's wrong with you?" Emiko sputtered out, mouth open as she glimpsed at the decapitated arm."I'm really not in the mood for this, I'm exhausted," she confessed.

"Hm...? I was hoping for a word of thanks, at the very least, or perhaps a reward?" Hisoka said, his tone teasing as he knelt down next to his victim, who was crying at this point, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Reward?"

Hisoka didn't need to answer. One look in his eyes and Emiko knew what he wanted was a fight.

After a few more words of persuasion, Emiko reluctantly agreed, hoping that once she knocks him out, he would finally leave her alone.

Now, it was forbidden to fight against other Troupe Members, but this was all but a fight to the death. She reminded herself to use anything but " _Blood Linkage_ ".

Emiko considered her options. She clenched her fist together and inhaled sharply, her gaze focused on forming a white ball of _Air Infused Nen_ to trap Hisoka. Once he faints, she'd be able to go back to sleep.

Unsurprisingly, even in a state of euphoric suffocation, he managed to shoot one of his cards at her, just barely missing her cheek as it rooted itself in the walls. He sprinted over to her, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he approached at an alarming speed. He threw his body weight behind the fist that edged closer to her face, it hit her jaw with such force that blood pooled into her mouth. Pain erupted from the point of impact. To repay him, with her own two hands, she grasped his head and brought her knee cap up to his nose, there was a blunt crack and she released his vibrantly coloured head. Crimson leaked from both his nostrils and his nose was twisted right.

He attacked once more. Still sleep deprived, Emiko only threw her arms up in defense, the impact so vicious it caused her to stumble back for a brief instant. Heart racing and adrenaline pumping, she realised Hisoka was fighting to kill. Before she could stop him, suddenly, his fist was slamming into her stomach as she sunk into his hard blow. Blood pooled around her mouth and she gagged. She gripped his arm and she gritted her teeth before she managed to tilt her head back and slammed it into his. Stars burst in her vision but she shook it off, blindly throwing a sloppy kick.

He stepped back, easily evading the kick and recouping by throwing a punch. "Is that all you got?" He crowed, smirking infuriatingly at her.

Mid-punch, Emiko felt herself strung back, crashing into a wall. Her blood hummed in her veins as determination and anger took over. 

Activating _Gyo_ , she saw herself completely covered in Bungee Gum, sticking her to the wall. 

“Damn it, Hisoka," she yelled, frustration boiling over, “Can’t you read the room? I'm just trying to go back to bed.”

He stood at his full length, curiously assessing his injuries, which appeared to be mild considering what she could have done if he hadn’t stopped her with his _Nen_ , “I don’t remember agreeing to some brawl with you, my dear. I want to taste your power. The full extent of it. You know I am undeniably attracted to you.” 

A devilish grin was stretched out on his face. While she struggled against his _Nen_ , he came closer, cupping her face. 

His eyes suddenly expanded, an idea forming in them that made her slightly anxious. She was completely pumped up of adrenaline, but the intensity in his gaze made her sober up just slightly.

“Hisoka, if you don’t step back I will kill you,” she felt the threat fall across her lips, ready to break him at any further aggression, "I'll use _Life or Death_ on you."

One of the elements that Emiko had power over was air. An ability she had mastered a while ago was something she called " _Life or Death_ ", in which she would plant a kiss on her opponent's lips and render them void of oxygen. 

The condition? Planting a kiss on the opponent.

The condition to undo or execute? Emiko would have to ask _"Do you want to live?"_ If her opponent answers _"Yes"_ , she would ask _"Why?"_ This was the tricky part for her opponents. If they answered with a lie, their lungs would never fill with oxygen again. If they answered truthfully, they would be spared. 

Most people when put in a situation like that, would claim _"I have three kids and a wife, I can't leave them,"_ or something along those lines. They would usually be fabricated phrases.

This ability, along with other elemental spells were particularly hard of Emiko. Not only do they take up much _Nen_ , but these techniques were only a last resort to her. It was not good to disrupt the natural elements. Therefore, she preferred her double bladed scythe.

" _Life or Death_? That's what I've been wanting all along," he hummed happily, his eyes craving to see every move she would make. Looming above, he expelled a violent aura, which again only made him more excited.

Emiko pursed her lips, thunder appearing in her eyes as she planted a kiss on his lips, " _Life or Death,_ Activa-"

Without warning, he slammed his lips to her, nearly knocking all wind from her lungs. She hardly had a moment to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips and delved inside her mouth. It was a very sloppy kiss being exchanged in the intermingling of their billowing breaths.

"Sto-"

Unexpectedly, his hand drifted to her hip. It settled there and pulled her closer. She inhaled sharply, splaying her hand against his chest, and with all the strength she had, wrenched herself out of his grip and pushed him off. 

"Did you just _burn_ off my Bungee - "

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, pain blazing up her arm as her fist connected with his jaw. He staggered a few steps back, surprised at her reaction. Ridding her mind of his lips, she spoke, "Do you want to live?"

She was stunned. Not necessarily surprised, but certainly taken aback by the sheer gall of this man. His confidence in himself was as unwavering as centuries old stone and she almost couldn't believe he'd pull a stunt like that. 

"Of course I do. That was utterly delicious, my little fruit," Hisoka licked his lips, "Was it really so bad that I wanted another taste?" 

Every word that fell out of his mouth stung, only fueling the fire that burned inside of her. Her eyes flashed with indignance, her aura spiking heavily.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not done playing with you yet, my toy. _"_

Words left her. She stared into Hisoka's golden eyes burning with passion and lust, and her heart fell cold. He was telling the truth.

_Breathe._

_You could wind up killing him._

_Breathe._

_He's not worth it._

_Breathe,_ Emiko chanted this word over and over again, like a mantra.

_Walk away. Now._

_Breathe._

To her surprise, Hisoka turned a graceful heel and held an arm up in a waving motion, "Get some rest, my little fruit. I will see you in the morning." His voice was near delighted, purring in her ears as her heartbeat hammered in her chest.

Once the door closed behind him, Emiko ran her fingers through her hair and let out the breath she'd been holding. 

_Next time he tries something like that, I'll kill him,_ she decided. And then finally, letting calmer thoughts take over, she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Illumi woke up at the sound of people arguing outside. It was 4:02 A.M and he stepped out of bed, deciding it wouldn't be worth going back to sleep. The needles in his face felt tense and rigid, and unbelievably uncomfortable. Activating En, and making sure Killua wasn't around, he ridded himself of self-control and tore them off.

Much better.

Emiko was gone. He looked underneath the bed, behind the curtains and inside the cupboards. He decided to wait for another fifteen minutes.

No sign of her anywhere.

He ventured out into the halls in search for her, peeking his head through door after door until finally he spotted a familiar streak of long white hair splayed all over the floor. The door creaked as it opened, and Illumi stopped, careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

Silence returned to the room, her face illuminated by the false light of the moon. There was no change to her breathing, even as he came a bit closer, further inspecting her sleeping form. How did she end up here? Why was there blood on her face? The sight was nearly nauseating to him. Anyone could kill her right here and now, and she wouldn’t even notice it.

He lifted his hand, lowering it onto her face, pushing away some strands of hair that obscured parts of her face. 

The touch didn’t wake her, but she did slightly squirm beneath his hand. Not in recoil or fear, merely readjusting to the feeling. It both angered Illumi to see her completely relaxed and naive form and relieved him, for once she was sleeping soundly, without a sign of her constant nightmare.

In his mind, Illumi rationalized that letting her sleep here would worsen her mood, especially with how cold it was and how hard the floorboards were. She would be more of a pain to deal with tomorrow. His arms curled under her legs and neck, supporting her and lifting her up as he carried her back towards the bedroom.

Softly, she squirmed against him, leaning into him and sighing when he’d press her a bit tighter against him. Standing in front of the bed, he stood still for a moment, allowing himself to relish the feeling of holding her for a few more seconds before laying her down on the bed. 

She easily sank into the mattress, a sigh of contentment escaping her as she curled into its softness. It was a pretty comfortable temperature in the room, and she was still wearing her clothes, so waking up due to cold was probably not going to happen. 

He breathed out in mild surprise as when he released her completely, she immediately reached for his arm, pushing it back against her. 

For a moment, Illumi's brows furrowed, the heat on his arm a bit too intoxicating to be considered normal.

He knew such a thing shouldn’t have an effect on him, but he sat down next to her nonetheless, letting her hold his arm while sleeping.


	6. X and O x Majority Rules

"Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of Trick Tower," Bean announced, gesturing towards the ground, "To pass this phase, you must reach the tower's base alive."

Emiko peered down from the giant cylinder-shaped tower, a moment of dizzying confusion as the wind hit her in the face. 

"The time limit is 72 hours. With that, we will now begin the Third Phase. I will pray for your success," he concluded, before plodding away back into the aircraft. He wished them one more stroke of good luck through a loudspeaker before disappearing from view.

"No way," Killua clicked his tongue, looking around for any signs of ropes or ladders, "Emi - nee-san, do you think we should jump down?"

"I doubt we'll make it in one piece," she shook her head.

"That would be suicide..." Kurapika added, crossing his arms contemplatively.

"Maybe for a normal person," a voice declared confidently. Participant number 86 began his descent down the tower optimistically, "But a top class rock climber can handle this, no problem. Looks like I'll be the first to pass the Third Phase."

"Wow..." Killua stared open mouthed.

"He's going down pretty fast," Gon observed.

"He's pretty good ... Wait, do you hear that?" Emiko's ears perked up at a distant noise. It almost sounded like -

The rock climber screeched in panic as three gigantic beasts swooped down from the sky, their sharp teeth bared as their four limbs reached for him. His face contorted in horror as he screamed, "Stop! Stay away!" 

"Climb back up," Emiko urged, a little too late. Lips ajar, she could only watch as a fellow participant was carried away by the creatures. She turned to face Killua, "Let's not climb down the sides..." He nodded frantically in agreement.

Locking eyes with Illumi, she made her way back to his side. He pointed at the ground, his foot tapping gently against the tiles, flipping one of the stones over. In a blink of an eye, he had descended. 

"That makes sense." As she was about to call over Killua, she spotted him with Gon, hopping around and knocking on various stones. She smiled at the sight of that, he didn't need her help.

Drumming on a few nearby stones, Emiko found herself falling into darkness for a fleeting second before landing gracefully onto the ground below.

"Ah," she gasped. Confined in a small rectangular room, four other participants had assembled before her. She clenched her fists as the sight of a certain magician, his arms crossed and his smile as devious as ever. Then, there was Illumi and herself. Two participants stood a cautious distance from the other three, a vigilant scowl on their faces. Applicants 246 and 53, which, if Emiko recalled correctly, were Ponzu, an experienced chemical weaponeer and Pokkle, a wary archer.

"Hi, I'm Emiko," she introduced.

"Pokkle," he said, heedful of his words, "This is Ponzu."

The turquoise haired girl nodded and managed a small smile, "Finally. Our fifth member."

"So what do we do now?" Emiko asked.

"The five of you must follow the will of the majority to reach the goal," Hisoka said, reading off the framed print and grabbing one of the five watches presented to them on a stone pillar. Emiko clasped one around her wrist and eyed it, thinking it looked like a ticking time bomb with a countdown starting at 71:46. There were two buttons on said watch - 'X' and 'O'.

Emiko ambled over to the sign resembling a scoreboard, of the far left side of the room, "At this door, select 'O' to open, 'X' not to open. Well, that's easy..." She instantly poked the 'O' button.

"Wait! What if it's a trap? What if the exit is elsewhere?" Pokkle interpolated, "Could that be possible?"

"No. We're already being forced to use Majority Rules. The examiners wouldn't go through such trouble explaining how it works to us if the purpose was breaking through wall," Illumi said.

"That's right!" boomed a voice from a loudspeaker, "My name is Lippo. I am the prison warden here, as well as the Third Phase examiner. Multiple routes through this tower has been prepared. You have chosen one of the paths of majority rules. Cooperation will be key if you wish to clear this phase of the exam. One person's selfish behavior can derail the entire group. You may start ... Now!"

"Prison warden? We're in a prison, huh..." Ponzu muttered to herself, pressing a button on her watch.

"Cooperation..." Emiko gloomily looked at Hisoka, who seemed as alarmingly jolly as ever.

The scoreboard blinked and jingled, 'O 4, X 1'.

"Who the hell pressed X?" Emiko's eyebrow twitched in irritation and Hisoka's hand shot up.

"Oh my, no need to be so angry at me. I was just testing it out," he smiled, amusement apparent in his expression.

The stone door slid open, allowing entry to the next room. Immediately, they were presented with another option, "Which way do you want to go? Press 'O' for left, and 'X' for right."

The scoreboard blinked again, 'O 2, X 3'.

"Who pressed X?" Illumi asked, upon pressing O.

"I did," Pokkle said.

"Me too, "Ponzu added.

"Me," Hisoka raised his hand.

"Studies show that people who are at crossroads tend to choose left. I'm trying to outfox the examiner," Pokkle explained.

"Right, but what if the examiner knew of our intentions to outfox him and chose to make the right path more dangerous?" Emiko countered.

"A-Ah, I guess. I didn't think about that," Pokkle scratched his head, his face washing with regret.

"That's why I chose right," Hisoka chuckled, leading the way to the next room.

There was a stone ledge at the end of the corridor, and Emiko thrust an arm out as she watched Ponzu wander further, as if she was walking blindly. She held a tight grip on her shirt, stopping Ponzu from plummeting down to her death.

"T-Thank you," she squeaked.

"This is no time to be thinking too much. Keep an eye out," Emiko advised. She brought her toes to the edge, peered down, then back up and surveyed the area. In between them and the next stage, was a massive blanket of fog and air, and below that, though extremely challenging to hear, were waves after waves of unstoppable currents, moving unimaginable volumes of briny water many thousands of kilometres. If one didn't plunge down to their death, there was no question that they would drown.

It was as if someone had slashed the bridge to the other side, only leaving one heap of a square stage in the middle. It was made of all steel and concrete underneath, and it looked like it just grew right out of the ground. The peculiarly shaped arena was distinctively lit up with a heap of candle light, at each corner of the ring. Emiko wondered if she could leap towards it if she picked up enough speed.

On the other side of that square stage was five cloaked figures, each with their arms bound together by solid metal chains. One of them stepped up and cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck, "I'll go first."

Emiko took in his disheveled appearance. Blood stained bandages plaster his forehead from a fight, his hair tied back and clumped with oil. A greasy grey mane surrounded his haggard face and intertwined with the long grey whiskers protruding from his upper lip.

There was another bellowing sound from the loudspeaker before Lippo's voice rang loud and clear, "Allow me to explain. Before you are prisoners of Trick Tower. The Hunter Exam Committee has also officially hired them as examiners. You will be fighting against the five of them. The fights will be one-on-one. Each person may only fight once."

At the sound of this, Hisoka groaned, "Ah... I guess I'll make sure to have my fun then... One should be enough."

"There will be no draws. A win is declared when the opponent admits defeat. It's still majority rules. So pick your order, secure three wins, and you may pass. That's all." There was a faint ringing sound which sounded like Lippo turning off the microphone.

"Choose your order," The uncloaked man from earlier bellowed. He rubbed the grey stubble that populated his sagging chin. 

"The first can't be too bad. Usually, you'd save the best for last, right?" Ponzu thought out loud. 

"Either way, I'll go first," Pokkle volunteered. On cue, a flat metal stairway opened itself up, allowing him and his opponent to safely travel to the square arena. 

Within a few minutes, Pokkle was on the ground, his mouth opened in a silent scream and his unblinking eyes popped like an fashioned toy doll. Held down by his opponent, a bead of cool sweat dripped down his back and his skin became as pale as the knife blade that flashed before him. "I give up!" He relented. He was released at once, and limped back towards the rest of the group, head down as he clutched his arm. 

His opponent chuckled and freed him, returning to the other prisoners with a victorious smirk.

"What a waste," Hisoka muttered, his excitement bubbling as he eyed the prisoners. 

"It's okay," Emiko consoled Pokkle, but she received no response, "I'll go next."

Another prisoner uncloaked himself to reveal two horrendous scars, one on each side of the man's mouth, twisting up all the way to his ears. It was as if someone had at sometime attempted to cut his face in half.

He demanded a fight to the death. Emiko agreed without missing a beat.

She summoned her scythe and sprung towards him, swinging her weapon swiftly. To her surprise, the man was light on his feet, proceeding to dodge her series of attacks. 

"You see, our sentences will be reduced by one year for every hour we keep you in here for. In other words, our goal is to buy time," he cackled, evading another attack, using this moment to roll and attempt to tackle her. She dodged. Using this opening, Emiko swooped under, punching her opponent square in the jaw and managing to cut him with her scythe before he got back on his feet.

"Oh, you're a strong one," he admired, wiping the blood from his lips.

Emiko beamed, "Why, thank you. And you're extremely nimble. I wanted to play a bit longer, but..." Trailing off, she dragged her finger along the bloodied part of her scythe, and brought her finger to her lips. 

"Wh- What is she doing?" Emiko heard Ponzu gasp, followed by Hisoka's voice, "Oh, I love it when this happens."

"I do enjoy it when you put on a show during _Blood Linkage_ sometimes, but we have to be mindful of time," Illumi cautioned.

The man's limbs trembled ever so slightly as he watched a cross mark itself on her forehead, a cold-blooded look in her eyes. Bold, gluttonous power fed into her scythe; fueling it for it's next unlucky encounter.

"No matter what attack you'll pull next, I'll definitely dodge," he said with a cocky grin.

"Just confirming, you said you wanted a battle to the death?" Emiko addressed, "How are you going to achieve that by prancing around?"

"Well, as I said, my primary goal is to buy time," he repeated.

"Okay, I understand," she confirmed, "I suppose I'll make it quick."

With a sigh, she dragged the sharp points of her blades onto her arm, drawing out blood it pricked her skin. She winced slightly. Even all the training she was put through as a kid was not nearly enough. Not when the pain was at least ten times worse. At the same time, the man in front of her wailed in pain as he gripped his bloody arm. 

"What the hell did you do, you witch?!" He demanded, leaping from where he was, hands extended as he whipped out a blade from his pocket.

She felt her hands tremble and a lump found its way into her throat, where it pulsated with utmost torture, _Oh, how she hated this part._

Emiko watched as his breathing faltered as she brought down her scythe, piercing her heart, and cleaving her opponent's soul from the flesh that bound them.


	7. Deepest Fear x and x Deepest Desire

"Well done," Illumi praised when Emiko returned. 

He volunteered to go next, and Emiko could feel an almost imperceptible blood lust oozing out from his aura. 

"I'll go next," announced one of the prisoners.

Upon sweeping off his cloak, the man's eyes immediately begin to fill with tears as he attempted to use some sort of spell. He then burst out crying and hysterically sobbed out, "Y-You can only become stronger through crying! The perfect method! Crying is how I understand my- myself best. W-When I cry ... I- I kn- know who I rea-lly am. I cry when others hurt as... as well as myself. Buying t- time at the same time as- "

Having had enough of his theatrics, Illumi swiftly pulled out a needle from his clothing, releasing them at the speed of sound and sending them flying into the prisoner's throat, defeating him in one strike much to everyone's surprise.

"Well, that's two down. We just need another win," Ponzu cheered.

"Oh, you can count on me for that," Hisoka grinned from ear to ear, exuding unbelievable masses of blood lust. After 10 minutes of Hisoka's charitable attempts at giving his opponent the upper hand, boredom soon soaked his face completely and he shook his head in disappointment before landing a final blow.

Bloody red crossed cards resembling the motion of stitches climbed up his opponent's crooked neck, under his now corruptive and perpetual grin. His face was frozen in a scream of hysteria and disbelief, bordering on terror. Scarlet liquid drenched the ground at an alarming rate. 

"You may now move on to the next stage," boomed the loudspeaker.

The next stages seemed fairly simple - ranging from diving 50 meters down from a springboard to a pool down below, much to everyone's surprise that there was a pool in a prison, an obstacle course, another fight with a few prisoners as well as solving some riddles.

The five of them entered the next room, still drenched from the dive. Emiko began to read, "On this table lay two bottles. Press 'O' for the colourless liquid, Press 'X' for the inky liquid. You may not smell or touch the bottle until you make a decision."

"One of them could be poison," Ponzu immediately spoke up, "It's also possible they used food colouring to change the colour of each bottle... Might as well pick at random."

The majority was 'O'. A hole in the wall opened itself up, and a metal claw poked itself out, grasped the inky bottle and then retreated back into its cell.

The scoreboard blinked, "You must now make another decision. Press 'O' for everyone to drink, or Press 'X' for only one person to drink. The bottle must be empty or you may not proceed to the next task."

"So who would like to drink that mysterious liquid?" Hisoka challenged, plucking the bottle from the table, his eyes glazing with glee as he eyed its contents. 

"Maybe I can determine what it is," Ponzu peeped. She let out some contents in her backpack, using various measuring tools to search for an answer. When she was done, she looked distraught, "As I thought. Poison. A deadly one in fact. More than one gulp would kill you. Maybe less."

"What?" Pokkle sputtered.

"Oh? A test of endurance of who could withstand a dose of poison..." Hisoka mused.

"Or if we're willing to work together to distribute it equally," Pokkle concluded.

"Correct," Ponzu gulped, shuddering at the thought.

"I can do it," Emiko and Illumi said in harmony. Her head snapped towards him and her eyebrows crinkled as she stubbornly said, "I'll do it. I was always the last to pass out anyways." 

"Pass out?" Pokkle asked curiously.

"Yeah. We used to have a competition of who could withstand more poison," Emiko explained with a grin, earning a horrified look from both Pokkle and Ponzu.

"You may not have this poison in your system," Illumi tried to argue.

"Invalid argument," Emiko pointed out, "One, that would mean you wouldn't have it in your system as well. Two, we were given literally everything. Don't worry. Plus - If I can survive that stupid laxative filled orange juice from Tonpa, I can survive this," she grinned reassuringly.

"He offered that to you too?!" Ponzu cried out, "He really is a rookie crusher..."

"I didn't get one," Hisoka said, pressing a hand to his chest, "I'm offended. Why didn't I get one?"

"Me neither," Illumi said, not seeming to care either way.

Emiko downed the bottle of bitter tasting liquid in two swings. The taste was familiar in her mind, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was. She slammed the empty bottle onto the table, and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, "Done."

Hisoka clapped, "I'm impressed."

Pokkle and Ponzu had a concoction of terror, disbelief and awe in their eyes as they watched, the latter afraid Emiko would collapse at any moment.

They entered the next room, and a sign greeted them with the words, "This will be the last decision made by majority rules. Please choose 'O' or 'X'."

The loudspeaker crackled, and Lippo's voice blared, "Let me explain. There are six paths. The first allows five to pass, but is extremely long and tiresome. The other paths allows only one, it will be either mentally, physically or psychologically difficult BUT, much less time consuming. Incidentally, the long, tedious path requires a minimum of twenty three hours, but you will all be together. The individual path requires a minimum of only thirty minutes. Please choose 'O' for the difficult path or 'X' for the individual paths."

The tally was O 0, X 5.

They waved a short farewell to each other as they entered their respective doors, chosen by random.

Emiko entered hers, and as the stone door slid itself shut behind her, she felt the blackness engulf her thoughts for a split second before she regained herself. Stretching out in front of her like a map, it felt as if the unknown studied her fears, her courage and her knowledge. There was something wrong with this room. Taking tentative steps, she placed her hand on the cold walls for support, for some sort of sensation.

Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared in front of her eyes, dancing around softly in the darkness. It was a candlelight - an arc of brilliant gold in the blackness. Floating aimlessly, it was steady and bright enough to relieve the darkness of the room, but it was not enough to read by.

Emiko squinted her eyes, barely making out a tall silhouette making its way towards her. As the figure drew nearer, Emiko realised it was a woman. She had a natural sunny glow and yellow hair the bright hue of a newborn petal, kind of neon. With a voice no louder than the soft whisper of waving grass, she spoke, "You must be Emiko Portor." There was a twinge of excitement in her voice.

"I am," Emiko whispered, "Who are you?"

The woman walked closer, leaving a trail of glitter behind her as bright as the stars, "A prisoner. A creature, as they like to call me, from the Dark Continent. I am a faerie. I _was_ a faerie," she corrected herself, "I am here to serve as your examiner, and I shall only let you pass in exchange for two things."

"Two things??"

"Yes. I shall let you pass in exchange for your deepest desire, and your deepest fear."

The air was still and the flame barely flickered. The items around the candle cast shadows that radiated out as hands on an old analogue clock would. The wick blackened and the wax slowly turned to liquid, running down the side and onto the ground.  
  
Emiko's gawked at her for a second before responding, "My what? Is everyone else facing the same thing?"

"No. In each path, lies a different challenge. You just happened to choose this one," the Fae explained, "Perhaps we were fated to meet."

"Perhaps," Emiko replied absentmindedly. Off the top of her head she said, "My deepest fear is dying, and my deepest desire is to be the most powerful Hunter there is."

"That's incorrect."

"Incorrect? What do you mean?... I mean, I'm human. I have many fears and desires," Emiko protested. When the Faerie didn't respond, she continued, "Okay... Well, my deepest fear is being alone, and my deepest desire is to learn everything there is to learn. To gain every power there is to gain."

The Faerie casted her eyes to the ground, her mouth a full frown, "I don't believe that's right. The scales are unbalanced."

Emiko had no idea what she was talking about, nor did she know what answer to give. It felt as if her stomach was full of lead; her feet were set in concrete; her mind was worryingly empty. Her stomach did a leap and a twirl all at once.

"My deepest fear is uncertainty. My deepest desire is to see my parents."

"Incorrect."

"My deepest fear is dying alone. My deepest desire is to live a happy life."

"Incorrect."

"My - "

"Careful. The more incorrect answers you give, the faster this candlelight will go out. Once it's melted, you will be stuck here forever."

Emiko felt her heart drop, "Forever?" It was true - the candle had shrunk down half of what it was originally. 

"Would you like a hint? I will present you with two paths," The Faerie's voice was delicate and soft, "The first, is a path to a normal life. Everyone you know will be... Let's say for a lack of better word, ' _normal'_. You will be amongst all normal humans, those who do not know of the existence of _Nen_. You will be a normal human, who seek perfection in others, although there is no perfection in themselves."

With this, a long winding path laid itself out before her. Emiko's mind knew where she was, however her body could feel the nascent sunlight caressing her skin, promising a new dawn, a new beginning, new memories.

Then, abruptly pausing to close her eyes and take in a deep breath of dewy air, she steeled herself to only think of her future from here on in. A distant future she would be able to mould, build, direct.

The Fae carried on, "You will have a normal life. A normal teenage life. You will have your parents with you of course, and your brother. To put it simply, you will enter a parallel universe, one where assassins, notorious thieves and the supernatural didn't exist. You will have a normal life, with romance and friendship, and no bloodshed. You will start anew." 

Emiko's voice sharpened at the mention of that, "No. I don't want that. I'm guessing the second path leads back to the life I lead now?"

"Correct."

"What makes you think I'd want to choose a ' _normal_ ' life?"

"I don't. You are in love with bloodshed," The Fae responded calmly, "Do you understand now? You do, don't you? You always have."

"What?" Emiko croaked out. Her voice came out hoarse. Her throat felt like sandpaper. 

"When you were seven, you saw a rabbit. Your first thought was unlike others - ' _An adorable creature_ '. Instead the question that raced through your mind was _'Can I kill it?"_ "

"T-That's no-" 

"When you were twelve, you complied with Alluka's requests, and you wished that he did not murder Milluki's victim - a tourist. The wish was granted. After everyone left, you killed him. You wondered what his blood looked like, and _you killed him_."

There was a distance in her eyes as she took a few steps backwards, bumping into the wall like she wasn't expecting it. Her head rolled with the impact, eyes glazed. Her voice came out thin and distant, "N-no, it didn't, that's... not... right..." She was breathing all wrong, beginning to gasp like there was not enough oxygen in the air.

"On your first mission with Silva and Illumi Zoldyck, you had displayed sadness upon taking a life. You cried that night. Yet, it was not because you had taken another life. It was because you were scared of what you had become, and what you would become."

"Th-That's not true! Stop!" Her voice cracked despite her best efforts and reached a hysterical pitch.

"You can still see it, can't you? The scarlet liquid drenching his white shirt, the light leaving his eyes as the colour from his rosy cheeks vanished. Can you still hear your victims' screams and shrieks echo in your ears to this day? Do you remember the thought that flashed into your head, as you walked away? You couldn't help but think, " _I don’t regret a thing._ " Am I wrong?"

"Stop. You're wrong. I did feel regret. I - I did..." She grabbed onto the wall, feeling the coldness spread through her palm and tried to focus on her breathing, but the anxiety bubbled rashly inside her rib cage. She felt sick to her stomach. Her chest was hollow, and then all at once it was filled with this buzzing. Buzzing. Buzzing. Buzzing. Her face was numb and she was crying. _Why am I crying?_

The Fae looked apathetic, “You will fall someday, my darling. Every bridge you’ve burned will leave you stranded on an island of regret. Every choice you’ve made will surround you, hideous in their shame and merciless in their consequence. You will end how I did: alone, and _betrayed_.”

“Heroes don’t fall," Emiko whispered, though she couldn’t quite hide the slight trembling in her hands. They were chilled by the cold accusation in the spirit’s voice.

“You are no hero.”

Her brain was in overdrive but her concentration was shot. Finally, she opened her mouth and managed to croak out,

"Stop. Just stop, okay?"

Shifting her gaze away, she murmured,

"I'm an assassin. I steal. I- I kill. My deepest fear... is that someday, I will lose my humanity."

"Good. And your deepest desire?"

She casted her eyes away from the Fae, forcing herself to focus on the paths behind her instead. She swore she could almost see him, like some sort of oxygen-deprived hallucination. Still dazzled by the brightness of the flame, still running an endless dam of tears and stinging terribly, she could almost the glint of light reflected in the needles on his clothes, the shine of his black eyes. Within those twin pools of void, she could see the reflection of the fire, rendered in miniature. 

_Go back to him._

She let out a slow controlled breath in attempt to steady herself, "My... My deepest desire is ... to be loved, by the person I love the most," She let out a half-hearted laugh, eyes brimming with tears, "If it matters to you, who it is, t-then I'll tell you."

"You do not need to. The scales are balanced. The exchange is complete."

Her mind swirling out of control, she barely registered the opening of the cell door.

Flaming torches sparked to life, lighting up the tunnel ahead and bathing the entire cavern in a flickering orange glow. The Faerie had vanished into sparks of white and gold, leaving behind specks of glitter. Emiko felt the refreshing breath of air in her lungs again when the light at the end of the tunnel came to view.

She ran towards the exit, eager to rid herself of this empty space, never once looking back. She let out a long exhale.

"Took you long enough."

She had never been happier to see the magician. He was crouched down, a hand on his knee as he attempted to build a house of cards. 

"You look happy," she noticed, "Did you kill someone in your path or something?"

"I did," he gloated cheerfully, "And your path?"

Internalizing any sort of residual panic she may have felt in that moment, Emiko frowned.

"Nothing exciting. I'm not sure why I took my time actually. Maybe it was to avoid you?" She hypothesized, hoping her tone didn't give away the lingering dread she felt in her chest. She turned away, praying he couldn't see the pool of tension swimming in her eyes. 

"What's wrong?" Illumi questioned when he saw her. He had taken off his needles, in attempt to alleviate the tension in his face. To him, clearly, she seemed frazzled, it was apparent by the twinge of red in her nose and glassiness of her eyes. She bit her lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from her mouth, and Illumi felt something inside him shift a little bit.

She sat down next to him and pulled her knees to her chest. He stiffened up.

"Do you want me to kill someone for you?" He asked. There was an almost sinister look in his eyes though the remainder of his expression remained apathetic.

"Nothing happened. Don't worry," she murmured with a smile. She rested her head on his shoulder and drifted off to sleep.


	8. Flashback in Time x and x Nightmare

_Gasping, Emiko bolted upright._

_"Not real, he's not real. It's not real." Panting her mantra, she looked at her shaking hands and began to count to ten. 3:33 AM._

_"Walk, walking's good. Just walk." Swinging her legs over the side, she fished around for her slippers, shoving a sweatshirt over her head in the process._

_These late night wanders had become a sort of tradition for her. The nightmares had been progressively growing more and more real, she soon found after the first few that walking always seemed to help clear her head. More recently, she'd found that walking was a good way to keep herself awake and away from any lingering nightmares._

_Trudging down the hallway she looked for any little mistakes, anything that would signal that her reality was about to slip. After a particularly nasty nightmare a few nights ago, she'd read on the internet that she could tell if she were dreaming by counting how many fingers she had; in a dream, she never had 10 fingers._

_So, she counted._

_10 fingers. Good._

_The same nightmare. It was always the same. Paralysed, cold. Unable to speak._

_The nightmare was more of a night terror, because it felt like she might die from the pain in her brain, she always desperately tried to wake up, screaming for help, yet nobody would come ._

_She made her way towards the end of the seemingly endless hallway. She rested her hand on the brick wall to her side, feeling its coldness spread towards her hands, and to her arms, granting her some sort of bliss from her burning body._

_Reaching her destination, she knocked three times, paused, and knocked three more times. That was their secret way of identifying themselves._

_"Come in._ _"_

_As Emiko entered, her heartbeat quickened._ _The room is like a perfect magazine cover. She was always afraid to sit in case she wrinkle the fabric or stain it with something she didn't know was on her pants. The couch was cream but inlaid with a fine green silk; leaves embroidered so delicately that they might have landed there in spring and just sunk in, but she knew they took Kikyo hundreds of hours to sew._

_"Ah," Illumi sighed contentedly, "Emiko."_

_Straightening her back, she feigned confidence. She wasn't sure why she was trying to be brave, he knew of her nightmares._

_"Illumi."_

_10 fingers still. Good._

_"I do believe," he started, standing up so he could walk where she was. Illumi stopped just before her, now truly, only separated between a thin, invisible barrier, "Mother granted me no visitors."_

_They were thirteen at this point in time. Illumi had failed to comply in one of his missions, and Kikyo had thrown a gigantic fit._

_"I snuck in," Emiko whispered, biting her lip._

_"I see."_

_"Do you realise the severity of your punishment?" She asked._

_Illumi clasped his hands behind his back, and nodded. "I am to spend the rest of my life here, I believe."_

_Emiko squinted her eyes in the dark, unlit room. She could see his deadpan expression, meaning he truly believed that was the case._

_"Kikyo doesn't mean that, you know... How will you commence with your future missions?"_

_Illumi thought about it for a while, "Oh. You're right. How silly of me."_

_Suppressing a sigh, she looked into his worried face, "Why aren't you sleeping, Emiko?"_

_She turned around and began pacing around the room. She and Illumi had chemistry, that much was obvious, but it seemed that the pair of them were too damaged and incomplete to do anything about it. She heard his footsteps behind her as she made her way to his bed. She counted again._

_10\. Okay._

_"Emiko?"_

_Jumping onto his bed, she grabbed a blanket and threw it over her lap. She was well aware of Illumi hovering at the end of the bed as she continued to make herself comfortable. Flashing him a small smile she patted the spot next to her._

_This was the first time Illumi had accepted an offer like this from her and she did well to hide her surprise and hold her tongue. Looking back at this memory, she wasn't sure why he had accepted, or why he was so kind to her that night._

_Needing no further invitation, Illumi had slid in beside her easily, stretching his legs out. Throwing some of the blanket over him too, she tangled her legs with his, moving closer into his side. It felt a little awkward but she didn't mind._

_Instinctively his arm moved to pull her in closer, "You don't have to tell me."_

_Closing her eyes she fiddled with the tassels on the blanket, "It was a nightmare." Pausing, she felt him tense a little. "Well, the same one actually. Over and over and each time it just gets more and more realistic and gruesome. It always starts the same and it always ends the same, threatening those I love and cherish before finally he comes for my heart..." She looked up at him, "Then I wake up."_

_Love? Thirteen year old Illumi was unfamiliar with that word. What did it mean to love someone? He didn't understand how they grew up to be so different when they were raised in the same household, by the same gruesome methods._

_Watching his brows twitch inwards, his mouth turned downwards in thought, Emiko closed her eyes once again and rested her head against his chest. "I've been taking walks so I don't have to go back to sleep and relive it again. Somehow, I made it to your room today." She dropped her voice as her eyelids began to grow heavy,"I just don't want to be afraid anymore."_

_Her eyes began to feel like lead, as much as she tried she couldn't find the will to open them again. "And the counting?" Illumi asked, inching just a bit closer to her._

_Smiling at the gesture she replied, "So I know when I'm awake and asleep," she yawned, "If there's 10 then I'm awake, if it's any different then I'm asleep."_

_He hummed in response, "Sleep," he began to stroke her hair slowly, "I'll be here."_

_"M'kay..." Snuggling herself in closer against him she finally felt relaxed, "Illumi?"_

_"Mmm?" She could hear that he was tired too, his body relaxing with hers._

_"Like you," she mumbled, sleep taking over._

_He was quiet for a moment, his arms squeezing her a little tighter, his head resting atop hers gently, "Like you too."_

_Smiling, she let herself sleep._

_They were thirteen at the time. This was when he started to crave her existence._


	9. Zevil Island x and x Fire

Emiko's eyes darted around frantically as she stared at the badge number in her hand.

 _'197'_ She had no idea who that was, unfortunately. Had Tonpa mentioned participant #197 before? She couldn't recall.

It had been three days.

The third to enter the island, she decided to take her place up within the trees. She climbed the tallest tree she could see in just minutes and shimmied out along the rough limbs until she could see out over the surrounding fields. Not long later, she descended down, feeling less than entertained as she perched up there.

Although the island couldn't have been more than a mile wild, the sea had disappeared from view, lost behind a seemingly impenetrable screen of vegetation. 

Out of the corners of her vision, she could discern a puff of dark brown hair and white ruffles. She recognised him as one of the first few to arrive at the bottom of Trick Tower. #384, Geretta. Not her target. She shifted her attention away and let her feet take over, letting them take her where they desired.

Seven days on this island. Option 1 - take her time and obtain three other badges. Option 2 - obtain her target's badge. 

She'd decide later, she thought, for now she would just survey the island for food and clean water.

The atmosphere would have been beautiful, if there were she were right on the coast, or to put it straight, without the grunts or snarls of fighting in the distance. Emiko picked up her pace as she followed the noise. Perhaps her target was there.

The acrid smell of blood entered her nasal cavities. There were five people present, including her. One, hiding in the bushes. Then there was Hisoka and a participants Emiko did not recognise, who appeared to be the source of the grunts and groans. #371, Goz. Not her target. In the sidelines was Illumi, his face frozen in a permanent smile as he kept up his facade as Gittarackur. She arrived just in time to watch a spear pierce through a tree as if it was cloth, its branches rustling at it hit the ground with a thud. 

"Hisoka, explain yourself. Why aren't you attacking me?" Goz demanded.

"If I continue to evade your attacks, you'll die eventually," Hisoka said simply, "I can tell from the Hemotopic Butterflies, that your wounds are fatal. Someone else has already dealt you a fatal blow, yes? Although, I do understand your desire to die in battle."

Goz slumped onto the ground, trying to maintain his balance with one knee. A swarm of beautifully coloured butterflies gathered around him. In particular, around the lower left side of his back. His shirt was already drenched crimson.

"If you understand so well, why do you still refuse to fight me?!"

Hisoka set his hands on his waist, turning away, "I have no interest in the dead."

"I-I'm not ye-"

"You're already dead," Hisoka cut in, walking away, "It's in your eyes." 

Bruised and winded, with a leg in agony, Goz forced himself up, howling in pain and effort as he took another spring, swinging his arms as he attempted to wound Hisoka. A yell erupting inside him - 

Then he stopped.

He almost choked as a yellow rammed itself into the centre of his throat. This was followed by a dozen more, piercing and utterly paralysing his face before he fell back with a thud. He was dead.

"Sorry about that. I carelessly let him escape."

"Liar," Emiko scoffed. She stepped out of the bushes, making her presence known to those present. 

"Ah, Emiko. What a coincidence," Illumi greeted, inserting his needles back into their places, "Do you know who your target is?"

"No, but if worse comes to worse, I'll just take three others," Emiko shrugged. Hisoka smirked at her answer.

"Oh? That's precisely what I said."

"What a coincidence," she brushed past him, throwing a pitiful glance at Goz, "You can be quite cruel, you know?"

A low chuckle escaped Hisoka's lips as he guessed, addressing the dead body, "He probably begged you to grant him one final wish, yes?"

"Well, I felt bad for the guy. Given that he was dead either way."

"You should cease pitying enemies who serve no purpose," Hisoka advised.

"You've done it before, haven't you? You walked away from opponents without finishing the battle," Emiko retorted, her eyes flashing with venom.

"I have my standards. I don't like it when my toys break on me," he splayed a hand out as he explained, "I only spare those whose deaths would go to waste."

Unsatisfied with his answer, Emiko clicked her tongue in annoyance. Instead of pressing into the topic further, she asked, gesturing at Goz, "What about his tag?"

"Oh, I already took it. I have six points now, so I don't need this one," Illumi pulled out a badge numbered 80 and handed it to Emiko, "It belonged to a guy who tried to snipe me. He ticked me off, so I killed him."

"Thanks," Emiko tucked it into her pocket, "Two more to go."

"Well then," Illumi began to remove his needles, and Emiko watched, finding it intriguing no matter how many times she's seen it. His skin bubbled like hot wax, his hair creeping down towards his elbows, his shoulders stretched and unstretched themselves as he reverted back to himself. 

"This is always so fascinating to watch," Hisoka commented, as if reading her mind.

"It's pretty hard on me," Illumi hummed pleasantly, "I feel much better."

"Will you help me hunt two others? Or are you tired?" Emiko asked.

Illumi had his claws out, and it looked as if he was ready to dig up a hole on the ground. That man could sleep literally anywhere. 

"Maybe you could help me kill Hisoka?" She was only half joking when she said this.

Hisoka merely chuckled at her nonchalantly worded threat, "Oh, we could fight another night if you'd like, darling."

"Darling?" Illumi asked, "Hm? I didn't know Emiko liked being called darling."

"I don't," she scowled, "Not by him."

"Okay, I'll help you," Illumi decided, ""Your target is #197. Amori, one of the Amori brothers."

"Right. Let's go. See you later, Hisoka," Emiko glanced once more at the bushes. Whoever was in there was doing a good job hiding themselves. She let it slide.

Not her target.

Keeping a lookout for a group of three, Emiko soon spotted them, their colorful sweaters sticking out like sore thumbs in the midst of green.

“Amori, number 197, right?”

Her voice made him yelp, his hands jolting in surprise as his legs instinctively found a defensive stance. Realising that his brothers had scoffed, mocking his reaction, he cleared his throat into his fist and spoke in a deeper tone than usual.

"What's it to you?"

"Well, you're my target, so..." Emiko trailed off, flashing him her card with his number on it.

"Shit," he cussed under his breath.

"I'll give you two options. You can give me your card, in exchange for this #80 card, which I would have no need for," she presented said card, "Or, in exchange for your life and your card, Amori, your brothers hand over their cards to me."

Scoffing, Amori crossed his arms over his chest and sneered, "Don't take us lightly. Our teamwork is immaculate -"

Refusing to let him finish his sentence, Emiko cut him off with a blow to his stomach, his panic buying more than enough time for her to yank out his badge.

Illumi didn't look surprised, "That was fast."

"You're not gonna get away with this," Amori yelled, fumbling around his pockets and fishing out a match stick.

"...What are you doing?!" Emiko asked hesitantly. 

The match accelerated over the sandy paper, spluttering to life. Illumi launched his needles, a delay by a mere millisecond, before it lit up. Amori fell backwards, unconscious and barely alive, as Illumi's needles struck him. He dropped the match.

With a sudden scorch of heat, Emiko fell backward, landing on the ground, her limbs scrambling to take her away from the flame that already licked at the flaking trees. The fire flashed into existence in a wash of red and yellow sparks. The flames danced and leapt in the air, reaching hungrily for anything that they can consume to fuel their wrath.

"You're going to burn down the whole forest!" Emiko shrieked.

"S-Shit, brother, she's right..." Imori stammered. 

"Get Amori out of here. Let's go. L-Let's call for help," Umori flung his unconscious brother over his shoulder before frantically crawling away from the heat.

"Water," Emiko thought out loud, "Visualise. Visualise. Come on, visualise."

Controlling water was demanding. All the times it had granted her control was when she was touching a body of water, or was a close enough distance. She recalled seeing a stream on her first day at the island.

A ribbon of living turquoise, boldly flowing amid the green of the forest. 

_Think._

_Visualise._

The power and brilliance in its tranquility, a place of stillness even in the roar of the stream.

_Breathe._

The scent of moss and lichen befouling the air for leagues across.

_Come on._

_Come on._

"Calm down."

Illumi reached out to touch her arm, his touch a stark contrast to the scorching intensity of the fire. A deep sense of serenity overcame her at once. 

"You don't have to extinguish this. An examiner will come."

Emiko shook her head, a bead of sweat trickled down her chin, "It'll be too late by then. There'll be nothing but ashes by the time they arrive."

The glowing embers leaped and twirled in a firery dance, twinkling like stars in the hot swirling air before cascading to earth like gleeful fire fiends, setting alight the tinder dry forest. The flames that consumed demanded everything become ashes, the heat radiating outward as an anger, and the destruction a terrible joy.

_We're going to die._

"You'll burn. I'll burn. I don't want - " Emiko felt her chest tighten as a lump made its way to her throat. Her hands raced to her head, fingers digging deep into her skull.

_Illumi will die. I don't want him to die. I don't want him to die._

"Wait, stop -" Illumi started.

_We'll die. Illumi and Killua -_

_"_ STOP! I demand it! _I DEMAND IT!"_

She forcefully cast her arms sideways, blasting the unfettered flames. They flickered for a moment, as if questioning her authority, before finally yielding themselves to submittance. 

The ferocious flames abruptly died down and soon, only the glimmering embers were left, shrouded in ash. Leaves were now just cold lumps of dust that flew away with the wind. 

She stood still, dumbstruck and tongue tied as she forced herself to meet Illumi's quizzical eyes.

"How did you do that?" Illumi questioned. _Did this mean she had not reached a constant in her abilities yet?_ To his knowledge, she only had power over water and air. At times, those too, were limited.The more he mulled it over the more his brain became a spinning top, always finding more questions than answers.

He immediately noticed how her fingertips charcoaled, blackening the lines weaving and swirling throughout her hand like an unfinished drawing. Her hands were frailty and caution, shaking gently as she carefully retreated them into her pockets. 

Her eyes were fixed as if she was looking at something behind his head. He called her name. She blinked, refocused.

"I just...," she trailed off in disbelief, staring at her ashen hands. Her mind a surging perplexity, she wore a puzzled expression, perfectly mirroring his. 

"You are unbelievable," he muttered to himself on the way back, "Even I have to say that was quite incredible."


	10. The Last Stage x and x Revelation

Ever since the day she discovered her newfound capacity to master another element, Emiko would sometimes find herself glaring at fireplaces, lit up candles or matchsticks, in attempt to trigger something. Anything. Her endeavors were of no avail. 

En route towards Chairman Netero's office, she touched her thumbs together, willing a cone of flame to project from her fingertips as she outstretched her hands.

Nothing.

She grabbed a candle from one of the candlesticks on the walls and held it carefully. She put a finger onto the flame, flinching slightly at the sensation.

She stared down at her hands, watching the flames licked and curled harmlessly against her skin.

Shaking her head, she willed the fire to flicker out. 

Nothing. 

The sigh that escaped her lips was softly deflating, leaving her with melancholy instead of relief. She blew out the candle before making her way in Netero's office.

"Ah, Emiko Portor. Have a seat."

"I'm good, how are you?" Emiko responded mindlessly, taking a seat.

Netero chuckled, and picked up his brush, "Very well, thank you. I'll just be asking a few questions to satisfy my curiosity."

Emiko glanced up, her lips slightly pursed as her concentration persevered. She couldn't help that Netero's laughter seemed so free and pure, so childish despite his adult years. 

"First of all, why do you want to become a Hunter?" He dipped his brush in jet blank ink.

"It comes with a lot of benefits that would be useful in my line of work," Emiko started, her eyebrows crinkling together as she reflected, "Including research, and other things."

"I see. I'll move on to the next question then. Which one of the eight participants are you keeping an eye on?" Netero rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. 

"Keeping an eye on? ... For bad reasons, Number 44. For good reasons, Number 301," she responded without a moment of hesitance. 

_Damn it, stupid Hisoka._

"Interesting. Which of the other eight applicants would you least want to fight?"

Illumi permeated her every thought. "Well, Number 301..." Then remembering what he was here for, she added, "And Number 99. I'd rather not fight any of them."

-

In the span of a few hours, Netero had gathered the remaining ten applicants in a spacious hall. A mischievous grin on his face as he unveiled the board. 

"No!" Emiko couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth as she scanned the board. If she didn't win her fight with Bodoro, or if Hisoka didn't win his fight with Kurapika, it would be her versus him, and she knew it wouldn't be far fetched for him to consider losing on purpose.

"Why are you worried? You won't lose," Illumi said, as if reading her mind.

The fight between Gon and Hanzo was lengthy. Emiko watched Kurapika and Hisoka walk up to the bloody mess on the floor where Gon laid just a few moments ago. His face had been grotesque, his eyes swollen over and bloody spit drooling from his slack jaws. She admired his resolve and tenacity. It was unlike anything she had seen before. 

She scanned the board once more.

"You're going up against Killua," she pointed out worriedly. Illumi only shrugged.

The next few fights went by in an extremely rapid speed. Kurapika, Hisoka and Pokkle had won by default, Hanzo won against Pokkle.

"Are you going to be okay?" Emiko murmured when she realised Illumi and Killua's fight was next. Illumi gave her a small nod before making his way onto the battleground. 

"Start!"

Killua approached first cautiously, eyes sharply examining his opponent. Emiko held her breath as she watched everything unfold before her eyes, starting from Illumi reverting back to his true appearance to the horrified look in Killua's eyes to as he stood frozen in place, unable to tear his eyes away. 

"B-Brother..." He stammered, subconsciously taking a step back.

"Hey," Illumi greeted, "Long time no see, Kil."

A muscle twitched involuntarily at the corner of Emiko's right eye, her mouth forming a rigid grimace. With hands clasped tightly in front of her stomach she constantly fiddled with her knuckles, weaving her fingers in and out of each other.

"I heard you cut up Mom and Milluki."

"...I guess," Killua said sheepishly.

"Mom was crying. Tears of joy. She was so happy that you'd grown up."

"What?!" Leorio yelped from the side.

Illumi paid no attention to this, "But she was worried about you leaving home, so she asked me to come to check up on you. And I asked Emiko to come with me. We need it for our next mission. What a coincidence. I didn't know you wanted to become a Hunter. "

A startled choke leapt out of Killua's throat,"Y-You knew?!" His body shook as he faced her, "E-Emi nee-san you knew?!" 

"I...I'm sorry," she croaked out, unable to look away from the frantic look in his eyes. He was drenched in cold sweat at this point and his body shook with terror.

His shoulders slumped as his eyes glazed solemnly with dismay and betrayal, "I... I don't want to become a Hunter. I just felt like taking the exam."

"I see. That's a relief. Then I have some advise for you. You're not cut out to be a Hunter. You were born to be a killer," Illumi said, "What would you accomplish by being a Hunter?"

Killua clenched his fists, "It's true. I don't desire to become a Hunter. But I do have something I want. I do! I have something I really want!"

Illumi hummed contemplatively, "Tell me what it is that you want." 

Killua swallowed hard, casting his eyes onto the ground.

"What is it? There's nothing you want, is there?"

"No! That's not it! I..." Killua took a deep, staggering breath, "I ... I want to be friends with Gon! I'm sick of killing people. I want to have friends... And live a normal life."

"That's impossible," Illumi disputed.

_A normal life._

A bell in Emiko's head rang in familiarity. She could see before her eyes again, the fork in the path presented to her. A normal life. _What would it be like to have something normal?_

_To have friends?_

_Would Illumi and herself still be friends if they were normal?_

_No. Stop. This is normal. This, right now._

_Illumi said himself that an assassin didn't need friends._

_Would they be in college?_

_Stop._

_Would she have loving parents? Would she ever be exposed to blood shed?_

_Stop._

_Would she have confessed to him after all this time?_

She felt a cold hand on her shoulder, and she jumped, almost toppling over at the sudden jerk back into reality.

"Ah? What's wrong? You look like you just killed someone," Illumi asked. 

His battle was over, and he had won by default. Now, Killua now only looked like an empty shell of himself. 

"W-What did you do?" Emiko whispered, her voice scratchy.

"I just reminded him about some things he seemed to have forgotten. An assassin doesn't need friends," he stated simply, his tone cheerier than usual.

"So does that mean we're not friends?" The words left her tongue before she could stop them. 

Illumi hummed thoughtfully, "That's different. We've known each other for almost twenty years. We're almost like family."

_Family?_

Although she stared at her feet as she walked, she felt like she was close to stumbling with each step. Her eyes flicked over to Illumi.

For some idiotic reason, she wanted to grab his shoulders, shake him and tell him she loved him, that she would do anything for him, that he was all she wanted, flaws and all. But she couldn't. Before the words could even form in her mouth or her feet take her to his vicinity where speech would be possible, her heart was racing. 

Out of nowhere, a sudden rush of air rushed into her proximity. Gasping lightly, she reacted, dodging and zipping past the the fist that had edged ever so closely to her face. The fight with Bodoro had begun and she had been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn't even noticed. He quickly rebounded from the ground within half a second, his nails so sharp it cut through her shirt, but she had dodged just in time for the attack to miss her back. 

At the exact same time, her balled fist collided with his cheekbone, flaying his neck backward like a willow caught in the wind. He stumbled, nearly falling over, rubbing his cheek with his palm.

"Crap," Emiko muttered, the fabrics of her shirt ruined, exposing the lower half of her back. 

She could barely register what was happening as Killua suddenly appeared behind Bodoro, and in a blink of an eye, sharp claws met flesh, making a sickening squish as they sank deep enough to make Bodoro groan. Killua twisted his hand, sinking it deeper and deeper before prying his hands out. The now lifeless body hit the ground with a thump, and the cascade of his life source gushed out in all directions, scarlet liquid squirting up all over the ground.

"K-Killua, what are -"

Emiko felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in her abdomen. Tension grew in her face and limbs, her mind replaying the last attack. _Why?!_ She looked at Illumi for help, but his face remained apathetic.

Killua didn't respond. He was already halfway out the door.

"I'm going home," he declared quietly.

The air felt bitter.

Emiko then heard a noise from the sidelines - a guttural choke, mixed with an agonized roar. 

She could feel daggers aiming at her even before she looked. When she finally did, she saw Kurapika sink to his knees, convulsing and trembling like a rabid animal as his eyes glowed bright red. His eyes have frozen over, robbing them of their usual humanity. The initial confusion that had made its way there disappeared once it hit her. 

_Ah._

_Kurapika._

_Right._

_Kurapika Kurta._

She remembered now.

_The Kurta Clan. Those eyes. Those eyes they took._

_The one survivor._

It felt as if her brain were full of static, either firing off a million unhelpful thoughts at once or offering nothing at all. Too many things were happening. Thoughts were accelerating in her head. Illumi, Killua, Bodoro's dead body. 

Small ounces of regret washed over her like the slow waves on a shallow beach. Each wave was icy cold and sent shivers down her spine. 

Illumi once told her that regrets were ' _useless moral residue_.' _"Like something hard to remove got stuck on you when you did something against your better judgement."_ Emiko didn't understand it until she did something wrong herself, now the residue seemed impossible to remove, like an indelible stain on her very soul.

 _Revenge._ She could tell that was what Kurapika wanted. But she had always considered it to be a much belied concept.

"I'll kill you," Kurapika growled, "How dare you..."

Emiko felt the guilt sit not on her chest but inside her brain. What she had done she could not undo. She could make amends in other ways. She stiffened and cleared her throat.

Composing herself, she said softly, almost wistfully, "I'm sorry. I truly am."

_It was only a job._

"What?! What is it, Kurapika? Oi, Kurapika?! Is... Is she... What's wrong?" Leorio waved his arm in front of his friend's face frantically, "What is it?! Did I miss something? Is there some sort of big reveal or...?" 

"It's not much of a reveal," Emiko whispered. 

With a defeated sigh, she turned around. Tattooed on the lower right side of her back was a black spider, and etched onto it, was the number #2.


	11. Flashback in Time x Emiko and Feitan Portor

_A sigh escaped Emiko's lips as she ambled down the spiraling staircase that led to the gigantic ballroom. She tugged on the fabric of her dress. She wore a greenish-blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric, long and loose. A semicircular, high collar made of silk-like materials headed the ankle-length robe. A puff of wind swept through her silver hair before it slipped into the crowd._

_"So," she began, after successfully descending down the staircase, "This is what it has come to."_

_Market stalls lined the entire ballroom, and Emiko paused for a moment to survey the flamboyant scene, and observe the milling throng. Lovers strolled hand in hand, casually browsing, whilst important figures hustled and bustled, and haggled over the price of the exotic fruits and other imported merchandise, with vendors of various nationality._

_The celebration was a riot of colour, everyone a little more hyped up than they should be. Music fills the air without effort, like waves filling holes in beach sand; the sound rushing in and around every person in the room. Some react to the beat, others continue in chatter. Emiko's eyes ate up the scene, her limbs feeling supercharged and her head giddy._

_"It appears so. By the end of the night, this room's wallpaper will be painted red."_

_Illumi vacantly scanned the entire room, then glanced down at his hands, as if considering alternative options._

_Emiko tilted her head up to look at him. He was dressed in one of the finest suits any one could buy on this side of the mountain. Tailor made, flawless. Perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect teeth, and he smelled quite good -_

_She cleared her throat upon acknowledging her train of thought taking an awry turn._

_Illumi and Emiko's mission today was simple. Kill everyone in this room._

_Their targets, mainly, were twenty Mafia bosses, all with extremely prominent statuses in the underworld. Yet, it would have been too much of a hassle to track them down one-by-one, as they were located in different time zones. Hence, the ostentatious excuse of an auction party. A fun, extravagant 'business' gathering, if you will. The hook of their invitation laid in the items in the Estate.The Zoldycks have attended many auctions, to enlarge their collection of rare collectibles. Illumi and Emiko simply had to state they were open for bidding._

_More people have shown up than anticipated. Most with inner connections to the Mafias, and most with connections to those with inner connections. They all looked astonished to be inside the Zoldyck estate, tittering like excited children, ready to tell their friends about their experiences._

_It didn't matter. By the end of the night, no one would live to tell the tale._

_To make matters seem more legitimate and realistic, on behalf of the Zoldycks, they had invited merchants, fortune tellers, tarot readers, and various kinds of people from all over the world to set up their stalls, and promote their business or product. The room was an odd combination of characters and personas._

_"That looks interesting," Emiko stopped at one particular stall after wandering around._

_"Hm? What is it?" Illumi peered down at the table, lined with a red velvet cloth. On the table was an array of various goods and ingredients. Illumi recognised a few - cobra venom, powdered Falcon talons, a tip of a parrot's beak and dried poison ivy._

_Emiko was on the other side of the table._

_Arrayed on the table were what looked like priceless gems, but one that caught her eye was one that shone in the glare of electricity, like mystical serpent-eyes--green, pomegranate and water-blue._

_"How much is this?" She pointed at the necklace._

_"5.5 Billion Jennys."_

_"Do you want it?" Illumi asked._

_Her eyes twinkled with mirth as a wide grin made its way onto her face, "I do. Are you going to buy it for me?"_

_Without another word, he cashed out billions of Jennys he had saved up from his missions and purchased it without a hint of a pause._

_"Thank you very much!" The shop vendor bowed gratefully._

_"I'll help you put it on," Illumi offered, taking the necklace out of its box._

_The smile of Emiko's face slowly faltered, and there was a muddled look on her face. It took a second before she realised he had actually bought it and was already clasping it around her neck._

_"You actually bought it. I didn't think you would actually buy it," she stuttered. His fingers brushed against the nape of her neck and she froze, a blush searing through her cheeks._

_"Why not? Didn't you say you wanted it? It's also real, so it's fine," Illumi said, as if 5.5 Billion Jennys were nothing._

_"I-I do. More so, since you were the one that got it for me... Thank you," she confessed, twirling the gemstone between her fingers giddily._

_Emiko turned away to hide the rosiness of her cheeks. She picked up an old compass, surprisingly light in her grip despite its appearance. She unlatched it, revealing its contents._

_"Does that pique your interest?" The shop vendor beamed._

_Emiko nodded, eyeing the instrument. It had no markings of any bearings. Just one sharp pointer and a blank canvas._

_"It is very popular usually amongst the older generation. How old are you kids?"_

_"I am fourteen and a half," Emiko said._

_"So am I," Illumi murmured._

_"Same birthday?"_

_"Yes, you could say that."_

_Originating from Meteor City, it was extremely difficult to dig up any form of data on Emiko. On Illumi's seventh birthday, they decided that Emiko would have the same birthday, for convenience's sake._

_No one really knew what the Zoldycks looked like. So it was no surprise to either Illumi or Emiko that this shop vendor did not recognise them. Any photographs of the Zoldycks are burnt and discarded of, and not to be released to the public._

_"Well, I am feeling quite lucky today, to be invited to such a glamorous party such as this, that I am willing to disclose the truth behind this compass." As the shop vendor said this, Emiko's eyes twinkled with curiosity. She urged him to continue._

_"To put it simply, it's a magic compass. It points you in the direction where death is least likely."_

_Emiko slapped a hand to her mouth when she snorted. Composing herself, she placed the compass back down on the table, "Right. As if. Let's go, Illumi, I'm hungry."_

_"W-Wait! It's true! Try it!" The shop vendor pleaded, using his hand to scoot the compass closer to them. He whispered, "You just have to infuse it with some Nen."_

_Emiko exchanged a look with Illumi, and she shrugged, "Nen? Alright, fine. I've got nothing to lose."_

_She did as was told. She carefully opened the instrument, watching its bejeweled pointer spin maniacally before slowing, and slowing and finally pointing to where East should have been, had there been any markings. Emiko traced the little arrow hand on the compass before finding herself looking up at her friend._

_"Scoot over," she waved her hand to dismiss him._

_When Illumi moved, the little arrow hand moved with him. His eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, trying to figure out what sort of enchantment has been placed on the instrument._

_"So, what does this mean?" Emiko chuckled derisively, "I'm supposed to be with Illumi to prevent my death?"_

_"Perhaps. It is up to you to discern the compass' meaning."_

_"Interesting. Surely you don't believe this, Emiko?" Illumi asked._

_"Right... No. Of course not..." Emiko trailed off, feeling heat rise up to her cheeks. She plucked a strand of hair from behind her ear in a futile attempt to hide her face, "Thanks anyways."_

_Emiko skipped over from stall to stall, a smile painted on her face and a glass of pomegranate juice in her hand. She suddenly gasped, "Hey... Did that skeleton just wink? Is that even possible?" She tapped Illumi's arm excitedly, "No! Wait! I want to see the winking skeleton.”_

_When she realised he hadn't followed after her, she turned back, "Illu-"_

_"Phantom Troupe," he cut her off._

_"What?" She set down her juice on a nearby table, wondering if she heard him incorrectly. No. She wasn't struggling to hear at all. However, she almost sure the Zoldycks didn't invite the Phantom Troupe._

_"The Spiders. They're here."_

_"What?! ...Should we tell your father?" Emiko asked. She has heard stories about them. A group of notorious thieves. Silva had spoken extremely highly of their combat skills, albeit in a rather unpleasant way. Illumi had seen them before, once, on a mission with this father. He agreed that they were unpleasant to deal with._

_Illumi seemed to be in thought, "No. Let's just keep our distance. For now."_

_Emiko made her way through the moving mass, occasionally stumbling onto someone's foot or accidentally spilling their drinks in process. Finally, just as she bursted through the chattering, swirling heap of people, she felt her shoulder collide with another._

_"Sorr-"_

_She looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Who she saw was someone so far out of her imagination, and so far from what she knew about him, she just stared at him open mouthed._

_There was a feeling in her gut she couldn't put her finger on. She willed her lips to move but her mind was blank and her eyes wide as she stared at him in horror._

_Black hair. Pale complexion. A bandanna sporting a skull crest over his mouth. His eyes narrowed into slits when she didn't look away._

_She could feel the fear in her chest waiting to take over. Perhaps it only wanted to protect her but there really wasn't any danger. It sat there like an angry ball propelling her towards an anxiety she just didn't need._

_Neither of them spoke at first. He pushed his way towards her until he was close enough to whisper, almost mockingly, "What are you doing here, Emiko?"_

_Her eyebrows scrunched together as her suspicions rose, "It's my party. Who are you?"_

_He stared at her for a moment before scoffing, shaking his head and shoving his hands in his pockets before walking away._

_"Hey! Who are you?!" She shouted after him. She clenched her fists tightly, until her nails dug into the palms of her hands, but she barely noticed. The only thing she was really aware of, was the sound of her heart throbbing against the cage of her chest. He turned back a fraction._

_A muscle twitched involuntarily at the corner of his right eye, his mouth formed in a rigid grimace, "You don't know? I'm Feitan Portor."_

_Portor._

_As if the words were still circulating outwardly and not yet allowed inside her mind, she just looked at him with a stricken look in her eyes. In her frozen state, she let out a shaky breath. She parted her lips to speak, to ask if he was joking, but the look on his face was an answer enough. She also once did some research with Milluki, which indeed confirmed that she had a brother._

_This drew her to the next question - Why was he here?_

_...To kill her?_

_And then the bells went off._

_Three chimes of the clock. They broke through all the noise of the guests, all the impish murmurs and effervescent giggles._

_12 A.M. It was time._

_Still keeping her eye on him, she grabbed the nearest person and sliced his throat open with her nails, creating a domino chain of guttural screams and agonized cries from onlookers. She drew out her scythe, and with her left hand, wielded its pointed blades, piercing body after body mercilessly. At the same time, she outstretched her right hand to the side, creating a tornado of dark wind that engulfed everything in its way._

_Even from this age, Emiko maintained a cool detachment to her targets. Mostly she preferred not to think of them, but when she did it was as if they were already dead - walking meat bags waiting to be dispatched to the butcher. She thought of them as meeting their destiny and she was merely the conduit. Everyone had to die sometime, and she considered it a good way to go. No illness, no drawn-out goodbyes. They were just happy and oblivious one second and gone the next. Simple. Convenient. Painless ..Most of the time._

_A sadistic grin spread across Feitan's face, a pleased look in his eyes as he drew his umbrella out from his coat, extracting a sharp sword out of it._

_"Looks like we were right to come for you," he said. Emiko noticed the light way his words bounced off each other when he spoke - some sort of a pronunciation quirk._

_Before Emiko could utter a word, he had taken off, seemingly taking pleasure in destroying the guests. It was then she realised there were several people she didn't recognise in the grand ballroom. Several young people who didn't look like they belonged with the Mafia. Yet, they were not attacking the Illumi or Emiko._

_The room of Mafias was armed with clubs, guns, broken glass and so forth. A few flourished swords or other deadly weapons too. The room had exploded with screams,_

_As Emiko blaz_ _ed her way through the crowd, she spotted Illumi, engaged in a fight - utilising his needles seamlessly as he punctured wound after wound in his opponents. Bullets whizzed over her head as she threaded towards him._

_"Ow!" Emiko yelped when she felt a sudden dull ache on her stomach. She gaped at her attacker - one of the Mafia's wife - shaking with fear at her failed attempt. She yanked out the weapon. It wasn't too deep a cut. She glared at the wife, “I cannot believe you stabbed me with a knitting needle.”_

_"I-I'm sorr-"_

_The woman's head crumpled onto the ground before she finished her sentence. Her body slumped onto the ground next, revealing her attacker. A girl with pink hair stood behind, admiring her own work. She flicked her wrist inwards, retreating a set of sharp wires connected to her fingers. She took one look at Emiko before darting away._

_One by one, corpses fell onto the floor, blood splattering all over the walls and ceiling as deep wounds were inflicted. Emiko finally made her way to Illumi, who was finishing off the last remaining few._

_"The Troupe is here," she spoke, as she pierced a man's torso with her scythe._

_"Isn't that what I said?" Illumi responded, dusting off his hands. Beneath him laid dozens of bodies, bloodied and wrangled out of shape._

_"My brother is here," she said with more urgency._

_This caught Illumi's attention._

_"Your brother?"_

_"Yes. I think they want to recruit me... Or maybe kill me."_

_"You're not wrong." A young man revealed himself to the duo._

_Emiko's head snapped in his direction, "Who are you?"_

_Black hair and grey eyes. A cross-shaped tattoo on his forehead and a pair of orb-shaped earrings attached to his ears. As he strode towards them, his dark purple fur trench coat blew in the slight breeze. He was perhaps only a few years older than her._

_"Hello, Emiko. My name is Chrollo Lucilfer," he said, placing a hand to his chest, "I'm here to offer you a job."_

_"A job?" Emiko crossed her hands over her chest, "You could have contacted me through the normal means. Why go through all the trouble just to meet me?"_

_"I'd like to know who I'll have on my team," Chrollo replied simply, "To be more precise, I am here to offer you a place in the Phantom Troupe. If you accept, we will begin with an assessment. If you decline, we will only take the treasures left behind in this place and leave."_

_"Why me?"_

_Chrollo turned towards Illumi, "You are also welcome to join us, Illumi Zoldyck."_

_Illumi hummed as he considered this offer, "No, thanks. Maybe later on, when I feel like it."_

_Emiko has never heard silence quite this loud before. The music had ceased, and the noise that filled this room previously belonged to people who were no longer alive now. Besides Illumi, the rest of the Zoldycks were nowhere to be found. Each tending to their own businesses. Only butlers and servants lingered in the room, picking up bloodied organs and decapitated heads._

_A few others she didn't recognize stood behind Chrollo, and Emiko wondered if she could take them all head on._

_"So?" Feitan approached her, tucking his umbrella back into his coat, "Do you accept?"_

_"What's the assessment?" Emiko asked instead._

_"A one-on-one fight with one of the Troupe members. You may choose your opponent of course," Chrollo splayed his hand out towards his teammates._

_Emiko didn't bother examining the rest of the group. "I choose Feitan."_

_Feitan chuckled at this, "Oh? I'll enjoy myself torturing -"_

_Before he could finish his sentence, a large man with an unruly mane of grizzled hair howled with laughter, "Torture? You really crack me up. Isn't she your sister?"_

_"Doesn't matter," Emiko interjected, the corners of her lips tugging upwards into a lopsided grin as she thought about all the methods she could use, "Torture? I'll teach you something about torture. I accept."_


	12. The x Phantom x Troupe

It had been almost a year now, since the Hunter Exam, and Emiko had been keeping herself busy with diverse jobs, several with Illumi, several on her own. It was much easier now that she had her Hunter license. She even went to Heavens Arena once. She reached the 200th floor in less than two days. She still remembered how Illumi and herself went to Heavens Arena when they were 6. It took an awful lot of time for them to reach the 200th floor back then.

Present day, Emiko found herself within a worn-down building. Within the walls, there was nothing but an echo and stagnation. She glanced at the time on her phone. Terribly behind schedule.

She stepped into the natural light of the moon, and smiled when she noticed the ten figures standing before her. 

Most turned to look at her, acknowledging her presence.

"Did I keep you all waiting?" she called, her voice carried in the sprawling echo of the abandoned building.

"As early as ever, I see," Phinks was the first to greet her. A smirk on his face, he swung an arm around her shoulder and ruffled her hair.

"Sorry, I was on a mission," Emiko stuck out her tongue in a cheeky smile.

"You didn't keep us waiting. Hisoka's still not here."

At the sound of his name, Emiko felt her heart stop. 

Pushing her emotions away, she turned and faced her comrade, "Machi, I haven't seen you in a while."

Machi's eyes flickered over to Emiko - her silent method of greeting.

Emiko sighed in relief, "It's great to see everyone together like this." She could see them all clearly, despite the dim moonlight.

"It's great to see you too, Emi," Shalnark said with a smile.

A part of Emiko wanted to give them all a hug, but she knew better than anyone that the Troupe didn't function that way. They were family, albeit a somewhat dysfunctional one, but each of them had some reservations about showing displaying such tender feelings.

She glanced up at their leader, his eyes glued on his book. He seemed to acknowledge her arrival. 

She took her place next to Feitan, and he raised his eyebrows mockingly.

"With your boyfriend again?"

"Shut up," she hissed, punching him on the arm. At the thought of him, she suppressed a smile, she could feel her face radiating heat like a hot pan.

"Don't start what you can't finish," he warned, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Emiko rolled her eyes, "I could knock you out in a heartbeat."

"Guys, we shouldn't fight," Shizuku said. 

Emiko and Feitan exchanged a look, "We're not."

Separated at birth, Emiko had only met Feitan 7 years ago, when she was 14 and he was 20. Upon that meeting, she had taken it upon herself to join the Troupe, fighting her brother until both of them were on opposite sides of a football field, bruised, beaten and passed out. She had demonstrated _Blood Linkage_ to him that day too, taking it upon herself to illustrate her version of torture - Not on him of course. He had commended it - especially since inflicting pain on oneself would mean better, first-hand knowledge on the vital points of the body, the most painful organs to destroy, and more. That was when they established a mutual understanding, creating a bond between siblings.

It was also then she earned the number 2, alongside him. Since, then she has moved back and forth from the Zoldyck estate to the Troupe's various meeting points, depending on their mission.

"Just ignore them, you know how they are," Franklin grumbled. 

Phlinks clicked his tongue, "He's not coming."

"The sun's almost up," Feitan pointed out.

"Are you guys really surprised though?" Emiko sighed in exasperation.

"Damn it, Hisoka. Next time I see him, I'll tear him apart," Uvogin said, gritting his teeth.

Emiko had almost forgotten how scary Uvogin could be when he was angry. But she knew she didn't have to worry about fighting between Troupe members. That was a rule after all.

"Oh dear... That sound quite gruesome indeed." A chilling voice pierced the air, "I'm simply terrified."

Uvogin shot up from his seat angrily, "Hisoka, you bastard!"

"Guess you're running a bit late," Shalnark said cheerily, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't show," Machi said, crossing her arms. 

"Why wouldn't I? You asked me to come, didn't you? Had I broken my promise, I would never have the pleasure of seeing your Nen Stitches again," Hisoka responded. Machi only snorted derisively in response.

Emiko's eyes widened as a familiar shade of pink came into light, her eyes focusing on the teardrop and the star on his face. 

His eyes flashed dangerously when they landed on her, his lips twisting into a Cheshire grin that made her blood run cold.

"My, my, if it isn't Illumi's little play toy!" His lips curved upwards as he approached her.

Emiko could feel Feitan tense up. She did too, naturally. That look on Hisoka's eyes told her it meant trouble. She glared daggers at him. 

"I would love to taste those lips of yours again, Emiko," he purred.

Emiko's first reaction was shock. Her mind recalling the memories of their fight. How things played out in unexpected twists and turns.

Emiko's second reaction was horror. She felt Feitan's aura dangerously surround his body as he moved to unsheathe his sword _-_

"Okay, for real now guys, no fighting," Shizuku repeated. 

Feitan was not one to get protective over anyone but himself, and occasionally the Troupe members. He didn't get enraged or ticked off easily. If it concerned his sister however, then it was a whole other matter. 

"It's okay! It's one of my powers, remember?" Emiko reassured, " _Life or Death,_ Fei."

"Leave it, Fei. He's not worth it," Phinks chimed in. Emiko smiled thankfully.

Feitan could sense something was amiss but he chose to let it go. He glared at Hisoka once more before muttering, "Alright." Emiko could've sworn Feitan continued to grumble under his breath, which included a mixture of profanities shot at Hisoka in his own inverted language.

Emiko shot Hisoka a dirty look. She whipped out her phone.

 _'Why?!'_ She texted.

He texted back immediately, signing the text off with a heart, _'Abandoned amusement park after our meeting.'_

Emiko felt her chest tighten, nervous energy growing in her body.

"Okay, boss. Everyone's here," Shalnark said, breaking up whatever could have went on. 

"Well, boss? What are we stealing this time?" Uvogin asked excitedly. 

Stepping into the light and closing his book, the said figure stepped forward, "We will take the treasures of the Underground Auction."

"Which treasures do you want?" Shalnark asked.

"The ancient texts maybe? The boss does like books," Machi guessed.

"Wouldn't it be more logical to take precious metals and gemstones?" Nobunaga questioned. 

"All of it. We'll be taking everything that's up for auction," Chrollo declared.

"Hold on, are you serious?" Emiko piped up, a wave of delirium crashing over her. 

"The Underground Auction is operated by gangs from all over the world!" Uvogin exclaimed, who seemed to be just as enthusiastic, "Just think about it! if we do that, we're gonna make enemies out of every last one of 'em!"

"Are you scared, Uvogin?" Chrollo challenged.

"No way! I'm ecstatic! I can't stop shaking! Give us the orders boss, I want it now!" Uvogin responded gleefully. 

The Troupe members shared silent smiles, knowing full well their family reunion has begun. They were up for something great. 

"I give you permission to kill them all. Anyone who dares get in our way," Chrollo said calmly, his eyes flashing with keen intensity.

Uvogin's roar of excitement filled their hideouts, and within several minutes, everyone had dispersed in accordance to their respective orders.

Emiko noticed Hisoka had already left. She quickly made her way to her destination, her mind racing at the possibilities of what he could want from her. 

She caught her breath when she arrived. Spotting a huge carousel, she gathered that was where he probably was. 

"Hisoka?" She said, but the only thing she received in response was a slow gust of wind.

She tapped her foot a few times, checking the time. She suddenly thought of Illumi. When was the last time they did something ordinary? Ever since she joined the Troupe at 14, she barely had time to play around with, let alone do something for fun. At the same time, Illumi had grown mature enough to complete more dangerous missions on his own. 

"Emiko."

She recognised the voice instantly. The way he said her name was enough to make her skin crawl. 

He was beside her now, and before she could even turn to look at him, sharp, claw-like nails ghosted along her clavicle, "I've missed you..." A chill went down her spine as she craned her neck to face him.

"Hisoka. What do you want?" She furrowed her eyebrows together, a sigh slipping past her lips. 

"Now, now, no need to be so tense. I just wanted to see you, is that so bad?" He said with a smile.

"You saw me at the hideout. You're clearly not here to make chitchat. Do you want to fight?" Emiko was not taking a wild guess. Hisoka loved finding new toys. And right now, she was one of his favorite. She knew that.

"Hm, tempting," he tapped his chin with a finger. He hoisted himself up on one of the carousel horses, "I think I'd rather enjoy your company for now. Sit with me."

Emiko couldn't let her guard down. Hisoka could be a merciless flirt at times, and she could still remember what he had said to her during _Life or Death._ As clear as day.

Before she knew what was happening, her body was flinging itself forward with great speed. 

His large hand slipped past her arms and tugged at her waist, and she stumbled into him out of shock. He didn’t stop there, however, and her body went rigid as the other arm had somehow found its way to her jawline, softly tugging until the two of them were breathing the same air.

He licked his lips as he twirled her hair between his fingers, a ripple of mocking laughter erupted from his lips. Emiko felt herself growing warmer.

"I have no interest in whatever it is you're proposing," Emiko hesitated if only for a second as she attempted to keep her voice as even as possible.

“Proposing?” The clown chuckled in a low rumble that seemed to penetrate the air itself, "Hmmm... If I bother you so much, then why don't you just try and kill me? I can see it in your eyes, my dear, everyday your patience grows thinner."

 _Deep breaths,_ Emiko told herself. _Breathe._

"Ah, when you look at me with those eyes... It’s like you’re _begging_ for my love, to be filled with bursting… It’s so sweet..." Hisoka's made a breathless sound, eyes closed , "Emiko... You're making me excited. You see, I don't have a reason to hold back, and I can't ignore the appeal of playing with someone else's toy. Especially one as _treasured_ as you."

Emiko's heartbeat was unbearably loud in the quiet following Hisoka’s little speech. Fast, too. Each rapid thud filled her not only with blood, but with a dark and sick feeling as his words finally found purchase in her mind.

"I'll burn you," she warned, placing her hand on his chest in attempt to create distance between them. Ever since the Hunter Exam, Emiko had also relentlessly exercised the use of her elemental abilities - with a particular focus on fire. The first thing she had to drill in her mind was that unconscious, emotion-influenced, impulsive, or reckless use of this power could be catastrophic. She always had to keep a tight rein on her emotions.

"Oh, will you?"

"...Hisoka, if there's really nothing, I have to get some rest," she said, writhing out of his grip, "Get rid of your Bungee Gum, please."

Hisoka seemed to take that into consideration, "As you wish."

"There is something else," he leaned close to her, brushing their noses together softly. Emiko froze. But instead of what she had expected, he pulled away, and she hoped he didn't notice the stupefied look in her eyes.

"You know how precious you are. I can't have you breaking on me," he freed her from his grasp and strutted away.

Emiko took a deep breath and headed back to the hideout.

She could still remember his words, clear as day.

_"Because I'm not done playing with you yet, my toy."_


	13. First x Kiss

Emiko could not help but be conscious of how closely her dress clung to her body. The fabric over her hips was so tight that she hadn't been able to wear a petticoat beneath it, only her combination and a light corset. Anyone could see the shape of her waist, the swell of her bosom and even the silk draped across the curve of her stomach. The narrow sleeves slipped down her shoulders, uncovering the tops of her breasts; the weight and softness of the material was like a caress. She felt elegant in a way she never had before, and a little wild.

"Ready?" She asked Feitan and Franklin.

Feitan adjusted his tie before clearing his throat. Franklin nodded, keeping his hands behind his body. 

The three of them walked onto stage, a large crowd of seemingly important men looking at them expectantly. 

"Uh... I would like to welcome you to the underground auction," Feitan said. This alone gathered the audience's attention. They looked up from their catalogues, and stopped chatting at once.

"Enough formalities," he smirked, "Let's just get down to the business at hand, shall we?"

"Time for you all to die!" Franklin announced before whipping out his ambidextrous machine guns from his fingers. 

Emiko and Feitan clamped their ears shut from the sound of the gunshots, as well the dying groans from the audiences. Emiko could see Shizuku approach them from the end of the stage. 

"The items aren't in the vault," she shouted over the gunshots.

"What?!" Emiko screamed over the noise.

"The items aren't in the vault!"

"Shit," Feitan grumbled.

Finishing the last ones of them off, Feitan and Emiko approached the auctioneer and a few bodyguards surrounding him.

"Fei, do you-" Emiko didn't even have to ask, judging by the sadistic grin creeping onto her brother's face.

"Alright. Which one of you wants to die first?" Emiko flashed a broad smile at the bodyguards.

One of them grabbed a gun and cocked it, aiming for her head. She sighed, conjuring up her weapon. 

The bullet bounced off her scythe, dropping onto the ground inaudibly. 

When in a battle, Emiko had the tendency to forget about the consequences of her actions post-battle. This would include torturing or playing around with her opponents. It was almost like a trance. She resembles her brother most in this sense, cruel and quite frightening. 

She focused her aura on the the blades of her scythe, extending its range and lethality. Due to the immense aura infused in her weapon, the scythe could extend as far as desired, at speed that to the inexperienced, would be far too fast to comprehend. The blades were sharp enough to cut flesh as if it posed no resistance. She swung it fiercely, and at once once a fountain of red came from the wound, the ebb and flow in time with a terrified heart, killing the man all the while faster. 

"W-What the hell do you want with us?!" One of them shrieked. The others were too busy gagging and brawling at the man cut in half.

Feitan beat her to it before she could say anything.

"Where's the auction items?" He asked, sneering as he slowly plucked out the auctioneer's fingernail. 

Emiko grimaced. She said to the auctioneer with, "Pity. Seems like you have the worst luck anyone could possibly have today."

Feitan seemed amused by that comment. 

"I-I don't know, I swear!" He whimpered, screaming in pain when another fingernail was torn off.

Emiko felt her phone buzz. She flipped it open,

_'I'm at Yorknew city. - I'_

"Fei, I'll leave them to you. I have somewhere to be," Emiko's turned away, and the bodyguards' frightened expressions lightened momentarily. She took a deep breath and swung her scythe once more, before letting it vanish into thin air, leaving the sound of slashed upper bodies dropping to the floor behind her, staining the carpet with pools of dark scarlet.

"See you."

\- 

Emiko stood on a lonely wooden patio as she awaited company. Perhaps Illumi was still with his client, discussing a new mission. Whatever it was, she was glad he made it to Yorknew city.

She tilted her head up towards the sky. could barely see the stars underneath the fog and thick clouds. She raised a palm up to the sky and exhaled. Tensing her fingers slowly, her face lit up with a smile when the clouds started to part in her command. Now she could see the perfect view of the various constellations strewn about the sky. 

Emiko's eyes darted back and forth in search of a shooting star, which unfortunately never appeared. Her finger slid around her necklace, running a thumb over its polished surface. Something she did often when she let herself drift into a daydream.

Illumi watched the petite figure leaning against the railing, silently questioning what she found so interesting in the night sky. He felt himself relax just a little bit more when he saw she was here, unscathed. He could feel her _En_ surrounding the balcony and he made sure not to enter that territory just yet. He felt at ease when she was near, which was an emotion he wasn't used to. As an assassin, he was taught to always be alert to his surroundings, never letting his guard down to anything. 

He thought stargazing was quite unproductive, but if it made her happy, he would not mind obliging. He took place next to her.

"I knew this place looked familiar. I once killed a politician here for a job. Isn't that funny?"

Emiko wasn't sure why she was so taken back by him so suddenly. In all honesty, she didn't even realise he had been next to her. She had been too caught up in the sky's beautiful display to notice. When his eyes shifted onto her dress, he looked slightly stunned, as if he'd walked into a wall, "You look ... different?"

"Hey, I- I mean ...Y-Yeah?," she said, a blush rose up to her cheeks as she became aware of what she was wearing once more. She leaned her arm on an uneven railing, and it wobbled. "Shit-" She let out a small cry before her fall sent her tumbling sideways and down onto the grassy terrain beneath her. Her back emitted a concerning crunching sound as it made impact, her lungs protesting as she heaved in silence trying to regain her breath. 

While this was happening, she tilted her head upwards to gaze at the edge of the balcony as black orbs and long black hair peeked over the edge of the railing towards her current state. 

"What a nice person you are," she grunted when he didn't bother helping her up. 

Illumi began to jump over the railing and landed by her side, "You know, if you didn't like me that much, you could've just told me."

A weak chuckle left Emiko's lips, "I do -... don't not like you, you know."

Illumi seemed to be taking a moment to process those words. He had never really mused on words, but he couldn't help but think she was trying to convey something.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

Emiko glared at him while rubbing her temples, "No, I fling myself over balconies every day of the week, didn't you know?"

"No," he responded.

Emiko deadpanned, "I was joking." Even after all these years, sarcasm still did not exist in his vocabulary.

Illumi felt a little adventurous tonight. He had just secured a job with exceptional pay, and he was still a little confused about what Emiko had said earlier. So he laid his palm on top of hers.

Her fingers twitched at his sudden touch, but she didn't move them away. 

She looked up at him hesitantly, her heart racing as she waited curiously for the situation to unfold.

They may have both been trained under the same regimen, but she knew he had it tougher. He was the eldest Zoldyck son after all. He had endured a lot more than she had from his family. 

She cautiously pressed her forehead to his. He inched back as a reflex. 

Her heart feeling like it was about to burst, she breathed out, "C-Can we kiss?"

It was silent for only about a second before his usual stoic face had then sprouted a rather surprised emotion.

"Kiss?" His head tilted a bit as if he was contemplating something.

Illumi wasn't sure where this was coming from. He had no idea why she wanted to do something as strange as touching his lips with her own. But if it made her happy.

"I don't see why not."

Emiko quickly leapt up onto his lap and if Illumi was startled, he definitely didn't show it. He rested his hands at his sides and closed his eyes. 

She cautiously took his hands and placed them on her waist. She then wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him down slightly.

As soon as they lips met, Emiko felt like she had lost all rational thought, and she was utterly consumed by the thought of him. Only him.

He sat frozen for a while, and dejectedly, she pulled back and looked up at him. Red had flushed her cheeks, but he still looked as nonchalant as ever. His eyes were still closed but he hummed happily, his lips forming into a small smile.


	14. Assassin x vs x Assasin

Emiko entered the hideout the next day, her heart still fluttering at the thought of last night. She remembered the look on his face as he realised what they had shared. He had quickly gotten up and excused himself quietly. 

"One more time." Emiko could hear Nobunaga and a couple of other voices from within the darkness. She could see the faint light which signaled her close distance from the hideout. 

"Let him go."

"Gon!" 

_Wait -_

That voice made Emiko stop in her steps for a second before sprinting forward. She recognized that voice.

By the time Emiko had reached the entrance to the hideout, all eyes turned towards her. A pair of sharp blue eyes met hers, full of shock and betrayal. He looked like he had just taken a blow to the stomach.

"Em-Emi...-nee- san," he stuttered, "Y-You're part of the Troupe."

"Killua," Emiko forced a small apologetic smile. She remembered he had walked out on the final phase before he had a chance to spot her spider tattoo. She could already sense from his _Nen_ that he had gotten stronger.

Of course he would have, especially after what Illumi had done during the Hunter exam. She hated this. Although they weren't related by blood, she cherished him like her own little brother. 

Emiko wasn't sure how she was going to patch things up with him, but she had the rest of her life to do so. She would wait until they were both back home. 

The first time Killua was old enough to understand that she was an adopted addition to the family, he was discreetly intimidated. Emiko had always been nice to Killua, but in the very beginning, he could sense something dangerous within her, and he did not like anything that reminded him of his older brother's aura. 

Feitan gave Emiko a wary look. He knew Emiko could be soft, a side of her which he despised, but he would stop her by any means if she tried to save the two kids. 

A stark contrast to Killua's fearful stare, in Gon's eyes, there were nothing less than determination, resolve and intent.

Shizuku approached Emiko and pulled her to the side, "Emiko, did you hear?"

"What?" 

Emiko felt some sort of twist in her gut.

"We think Uvogin has been killed by the Chain User."

Emiko opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Uvogin and herself were not particularly close. He preferred to converse with his fists, while she preferred to use words. Nevertheless, he was part of the Troupe, and therefore part of whatever dysfunctional, screwed up version of family she had.

The Troupe decided to keep both boys as captive, with Nobunaga keeping a close eye on them. The boss had issued their last mission at Yorknew city. 

Chaos.

-

It was the start of a stormy night. Fierce and drenched with blood, yet somehow overwhelmingly sad.

Emiko kept her pace, Feitan and Phinks by her side, as they slashed at onlookers' throats. Emiko glanced at Feitan's sword, already stained with blood. A few guards charged with a mighty cry. He dodged to the side in one fluid move, his eyes blazing with madness and his dark hood made the rest of his features indistinguishable. 

Screams broke out. Men rushed forward, shouting orders. Guns fired. More shouting. More running. The Troupe's attack was fierce, efficient and deadly.

"Alright, I guess I'll have to do this too," Emiko sighed, raising up her arm. As soon as she felt the cold metal of her scythe touch her skin, she activated her _Nen_ , extending harsh, ferocious air to the edges of her blades. 

Using her elemental powers would take too long, she decided. Suffocating her opponents with deoxygenation or water would cause too much pain. The goal was too create chaos, not elongated suffering.

Men screamed in pain clutching their grievous wounds as she made her way past them with ease, unleashing waves of death and fire as she propelled her scythe in a yo-yo like motion.

"I'm heading in," Emiko declared, making her way towards the hotel. 

"The Boss is there already. But I'm sure he won't need any help fending off those assassins," Phinks said before twisting a guard's neck.

As Emiko ran, Phinks words sunk deeper. _Assassin?_

She followed the strongest trace of aura. It felt eerily familiar, making her halt promptly. She looked up at the doors that lead towards the main ballroom, hearing faint voices inside.

"Y-You..." 

The voice drew Emiko's attention away from the doors. 

"Kurapika." 

Emiko could practically see the flames roaring in her eyes, ready to ignite anything that he came in contact with.

Before any of them exchange further pleasantries, suddenly came the sound of an old fashioned telephone, so authentic that Emiko scanned the room for an antique. Kurapika held a hard gaze on Emiko, his eyes brewing anger like like a storm out at sea as he scooped up his cellphone. He spoke into it, argued, before sighing heavily and ending the call. Begrudgingly, he turned away.

"Where are you going?" Emiko asked. She was sure from the look of his eyes, he wanted a fight.

"I have business to attend to. But let me tell you this now." He twisted his head back, red eyes bearing straight into hers, "I'll kill you... I'll kill all of you. You'll die by my hands. My chains." He swung his arm, revealing a set of chain that hung motionless and silent, yet still took central place within the tubular, entwined framework. 

Emiko grew rigid with fury, "You're the chain user." Her fists clenched and her jaw rooted, "You... killed Uvogin."

"And I'll kill you next. With my judgement chain." Kurapika's face contorted with the venomous outburst as he said this.

Emiko sneered at him, then laughed, only adding fuel to Kurapika's wrath.

"You think this is funny?!" He snapped, "I now have the weapon to kill you."

Her smile fell and she glared at him with hatred in her eyes, "Funny?" 

Kurapika opened his mouth to say something when another call cut him off. He growled at his phone, and ended the call without picking it up. He threw another daggered glare before bolting down the stairs.

"Don't you dare leave!" Emiko yelled, leaping flames bouncing off her fingertips. It shot through the wall, burning like a temper as they destroyed the building's foundations. She peered down the stairwell, only to see a blur of blue and yellow dash further and further away. 

"Shit," she swore. She immediately called the Feitan to inform him of her newfound knowledge, telling him to spread the word.

After she waved her hand in dismissal and blew out the flames, leaving only wispy plumes of silver smoke. Back to her main focus.

With much hesitation, she opened the doors to the grand room. Just in time to see Chrollo, back on the floor as he held a defensive stance. A flash of lightning shot down from the sky, bringing a man down with it as well. Emiko's eyes widened in fear as they registered the scene in front of her. Chrollo whipped out a blade and slashed forward, but his opponent was fast on his feet.

"I see you finally came to join us," Silva greeted. 

"Silva, Z-Zeno," Emiko stammered, "Y-You knew?"

"That you're in the Troupe? Of course we did. I may be old, but I am not an idiot," Zeno answered with a chuckle.

She felt her body paralyze with fear. If they knew, did that mean they were prepared to kill her? 

"Emiko," Chrollo spoke, "Join me."

Chrollo's aura flared around him as Zeno approached him. Emiko took a step towards Silva.

"Well? Are you going to attack?" He challenged. She hesitated.

_No, I don't want to attack my family. But my other family needs me right now._

"Yes," she whispered before speeding in towards him, her scythe already in her hands. This would be the best option, Silva was strong enough to protect himself while she bought time. 

_Bought time for what? This battle could only go one way or the other._

She swung her weapon with all her might, encapsulating it with _Nen_ as she aimed. Silva dodged smoothly, and the scythe made rough contact with the ground, creating a crate of unwanted splinters. Silva propelled himself forward so forcefully that the floor cracked with his step. He dived back at her, his fist edged closer and closer to her face. She dodged.

"This takes me back to the days where you trained Illumi and myself," she forced a smile.

"Well, now you both are capable adults, I'm proud. I'm glad that Illumi has found a splendid partner," Silva answered, dodging another one of Emiko's attacks. 

"All those grueling sessions really paid off."

This was a tough battle. Silva knew Emiko's weaknesses - he was the one that trained her after all. He knew how she could not manipulate water if there was no body of water present. With her hurricanes, there would be too many liabilities. With fire - 

Emiko clicked her fingers together, catching Silva's attention, and a flicker of light arose as a flame danced on her pale, trembling fingers. Silva suppressed a smile as his eyes fixed to the golden flame in her hand, secretly commending himself for raising such a great fighter. As children, she and Illumi would spend hours on end attacking Silva, and it would hardly ever tire him out. As they grew older, they grew to improve, being able to land an attack perhaps 1 out of 3 tries.

Again, her agile movements were far too slow. A pair of rough hands tried to seize her. She executed a somersault, shook himself free and rose only to butt her head onto the wall.

She cried out in pain, cursing at her clumsiness during battle.

"Now, kill him!" Zeno's order caught both their attentions, and Silva leaped into the air, two purple globes surrounded by electrical currents flashed past Emiko's eyes before they landed onto both Zeno and Chrollo.

The ground moved and the noise was like extended thunder vibrating across the entire building. Cracks had appeared from the floor, as if the entire place suddenly fell from the sky and struck the earth with mighty impact. 

She could barely see anything inside the smoke. No visual sign of Chrollo or Zeno.

The noise and chaos almost kept Emiko from hearing the ring of her phone. It buzzed in her pocket violently, and without even looking at the screen, she picked up and croaked out, "Hello?"

"It's Illumi."

"I-Illumi?"

"Yeah. Are you harmed?"

"No," Emiko shook her head, "I- I'm here with your father and grandfather."

"I know. Well, good. Where is my client?" 

"Client? Wait, what do you mean you know?"

"Yes, Chrollo. Your boss," Illumi said, snapping Emiko out of her trance. 

"He's here," Emiko started, "W-Wait, client? What do you mean?"

On cue, Zeno lifted up a giant debris of brick over his head and dusted himself off. Chrollo followed suit. Emiko sighed in relief. They were both alive. Scathed, but alive.

"Oh, were you fighting? Is he alive?" Illumi asked at the sound of bricks thumping against the ground.

"Yes," Emiko responded, "Why?"

"Good. Just in the nick of time. Well, relay a message. I've killed the Ten Dons. Tell him to wire the money to my account as agreed," Illumi answered, a hint of cheeriness in his tone, "Be safe. I will see you soon."

"Okay. Bye," Emiko hung up, immediately relaying the message.

"Good grief, it seems we all get to live another day," Zeno said, placing his arms over his back.

"Weren't you supposed to kill us?" 

"We were hired by the Ten Dons. Now that they're all dead, you are no longer our target," Zeno clarified.

"Really? That's surprising. You won't get another chance like this," Chrollo said.

"Do you believe that we kill for pleasure? We don't do this for fun. I refuse to work for nothing or die for nothing," Zeno added.

"Did you know I hired Illumi to kill the Ten Dons?" Chrollo asked, although Emiko felt his gaze on her as he said this.

Emiko felt a wave of realisation crashing over her. _Could Illumi have taken this task from Chrollo, knowing his father and grandfather were here? Could he have possibly known they would clash head-to-head like this? If so, did he do it for her?_

_No, that can't be right. It was for the money. That kiss meant nothing to him._

_"I don't see why not" is not a "Yes, I would like to kiss you"._

"No," Emiko admitted, "I knew you hired him, but I didn't know it was this."

"Of course I did," Zeno said, "But that's irrelevant. We simply do the job we're hired for." 

"Say, can I ask you something?" Chrollo interjected, "If you and I were to fight one-on-one, who would win?"

"Most likely me," Zeno replied after giving it some thought, "Unless you try to actually kill me." He faced Emiko, a half smile on his face, "I will see you at home."

"See you," Emiko waved. Chrollo had looked like he was about to ask something, but he decided against it.

"Let's go," he said, "Let's find the rest of us."


	15. Attraction x and x Confession

The moment she stepped into the Zoldyck Estate, Emiko felt a pair of thin hands surround her body in an endearing embrace.

"Oh Emiko, look how much you've grown. I'm so proud of you. You are turning out to be an even better assassin than I hoped," Kikyo gushed, bringing a hand towards her mouth, "I bought dresses for you, I thought they might be to your liking. Welcome home, darling!" She gave Emiko one last delighted look and sighed elatedly before turning towards her butlers.

"Where is the cake?! My precious son is coming home today, everything has to be perfect!" She screeched. The dining room was a mess. Flour splattered all over the floor, wet paint on the wall for some odd reason and ten butlers running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room. Partially drunken cups of tea littered about the floor and table, bits of lego and tiny triangles of construction paper everywhere. Emiko could barely see a square centimeter of the carpet.

"Oh Kil, I missed those cold eyes of yours... I wonder when he'll arrive... " Kikyo mused, placing a hand onto her heart. Emiko then remembered she had some explaining to do for the young Zoldyck.

"Good evening, Emiko-sama," Canary greeted with a smile, earning a cold look from Kikyo. Canary's smile turned apologetic as she hurriedly made her way to do the rest of her tasks.

"Emiko, you're home," boomed another voice. Emiko tilted her head up to see Milluki perched on top of the second floor, chips in his hands as he munched on them noisily, "I need your help with something."

"Not now," she pleaded, "I think I need some rest."

"Fine," Milluki groaned. 

"Emi-nee," called out another voice. Emiko averted her apologetic gaze from Milluki to the younger Zoldyck sibling. 

"Kalluto! I've missed you. Let's talk after I get my rest?" she suggested, and Kalluto nodded eagerly. 

The first time Emiko interacted with Kalluto was during his first training. She was his mentor when Illumi or Silva wasn't around, and Kalluto secretly admired her. It was like a love at first sight for a young kid like him. Emiko remembered the way he skipped happily over to training, something she found strange as she didn't remember loving the times where she had to train. 

Emiko made her way down the halls and towards the room. After all that has happened in Yorknew city, all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep. Forget. Pakunoda, and Chrollo. She wondered if she should have stayed behind with Feitan and the rest of the Troupe members. 

Her body sinking into her bed, she drifted off to sleep.

And again, she sank back down to a dark place she didn't recognise, and there was music, a choir of sorts as in church. It was pitch black; she was as blind as if her eyes had been gouged. Her body washed cold. Emiko brought her fingers to her eye sockets; they were still there. 

The dream changed and she felt a sense of falling, as if she were entering a hidden dimension. She found herself in an empty room, except there was a man there. The same one. And again, she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She heard someone shouting her name, over and over. She opened her mouth to speak again, but nothing would come. The voice sounded frantic, scared.

An ominous boom started her out of her abysmal nightmare. Her cheeks were wet and her body was bathed in a cold sweat. The sheets were twisted around her limbs, probably because she was thrashing in her sleep. Her heart pounded against her chest. She trembled. The room was entirely dark. No light anywhere. The remnants of her nightmare still clung to her mind, haunting her. Emiko let out small cry when she sensed something moving in the darkness. Her breath trembling, she summoned her scythe as she awaited the figure to reveal itself.

She almost wanted to punch Illumi when he stepped out from the darkness. He flicked open the light switch.

"Damn it! Illumi, what the hell? You scared me half to death, I-I could've ... W- What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be home?" Emiko asked, still frantic. 

"You didn’t reply to my seventeen messages so I thought I would come find you," Illumi stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Emiko grabbed her phone. Sure enough there were seventeen messages. She tossed it to the side, "I was sleeping!"

Being the painfully honest person he was, Illumi said, "Oh.I didn’t realize it bothered you. I just like to be around you.”

Emiko stared at him, "I never said it bothered me. Even if it did, you'd probably still do it, knowing you." 

Sometimes, Illumi could get a little too overbearing, he always wanted to know where she was, and what she was doing. Emiko didn't think he even realised what he was doing. He just considered it a curiosity that needed to be satiated. If she had asked him why he was being that way, he would probably respond with _"Why shouldn't I be able to know your whereabouts 24/7? What's wrong with that?"_

As if noticing her present state for the first time he tilted his head slightly, "What's wrong? Did you have the nightmare again?"

"Yeah," Emiko confessed, scratching her head, "It still creeps me out, after all this time."

Illumi glanced at her fingers before pointing out, "Well, you have ten fingers. You're awake."

"I know," Emiko said, a small smile tugging on her lips, "Anyways, why are you home?"

"You didn't respond to my messages," Illumi repeated, like it was common sense, "I've completed my mission. It went splendidly, I'll be sure to tell Father about it later."

Emiko nodded. That was not the question she wanted to ask. She found her eyes darting back and forth towards his lips every once in a while, and the paths in her brain leading down to the one questions he truly wanted to ask.

_Just do it, Emiko. Do it. Ask._

"Hey, listen..." She started.

"Hm?"

Inhaling deeply, she gathered up her confidence and blurted out, "Why did you let me kiss you?" It came out more as a statement than a question. "Did you just want to... know how it felt?" She added uncertainly. 

She could feel her heart beat. Every single pound in her chest and for a second she was afraid he could hear how loud it was.

"I don't know," Illumi leaned against one of the bed frames, "Perhaps I'm attracted to you. Father always said I was in love with you when we - "

Emiko's mouth dropped fell open, "In love?! He did?!" She found herself at shock with this new information. More shocked however, at the fact that Illumi had said the words ' _In love'_.

"Yeah," Illumi nodded, "What do you think?"

"Well, I think... Okay. Maybe attraction is like a magnet. It's that thought inside your head that says " _There's something about this..._ " You gravitate towards this extraordinary thing that has captured your attention, and the more you're exposed to it, the more you learn about it," Emiko tried to explain without stuttering, "And it may bloom into something more, or you'll just lose interest and go find something else to be attracted to."

"Gravitate," Illumi pondered over Emiko's words. He spent a great deal of time wondering if she was alive. He had never wondered if she was hurt, though not as often as the former. When he did, however, he could feel his blood lust skyrocket tenfold. 

"Okay, I got it," he said finally, "I am attracted to you. I do think you are extraordinary."

His comment was so out of character, so far from what she knew of him, she just stared at him open mouthed. Her brain formulated no thoughts other than to register that she was shocked. She closed her mouth, then looked at her fingers before glancing back up to catch his eye. She waited patiently for him to continue, but instead he stared at her wordlessly.

"...You said that we're basically like family," she argued, addressing his words back during the Hunter Exam.

"We've known each other for almost twenty years. We're not related by blood. If anything, you should be honored to be part of the Zoldyck family. Mother and Father have already accepted you."

"What about when you said an assassin didn't need friends?"

"Oh? That's right. It's different. You have been my partner for many years. You're not necessarily just a friend. Especially now. I read that a confession usually leads to committing oneself into a relationship, which usually leads to committing oneself into a marriage. How else would we procreate? I do think you are a great addition to the family, and I do know that we would make a powerful Zoldyck assassin."

Emiko almost choked, "Make one? Y-You mean..."

"Yeah. Procreating."

"Okay. Let's uh... Let's take a step back for a second," she cleared her throat, "I'm attracted to you too." Her face was now five different shades of red. She never expected this to happen. She wondered if this would have unfolded the way it did if she had never asked to kiss him. She knew he wasn't the type to initiate anything.

"I know. You told me that when you were 13."

"What?" Emiko couldn't remember when she could have possibly done so.

She fiddled with her fingers nervously. It used to be so easy to be around Illumi but now all she felt was intense pressure and suffocating anxiety, "Do you want to do something about it?"

"Like what? A relationship?" Illumi guessed. He knew the concept of a relationship well enough, but even he didn't think he would be in one any time soon. _How odd_ , he thought. He certainly didn't mind. As long as it was with Emiko.

"Yes," she replied, a little hesitant.

"Alright."

Before any of them could say anything else, Kikyo's shrill voice rang throughout the bedroom, making Emiko jump.

"We should head down to dinner," she said, finding it increasingly difficult to look into his eyes. Her brain could barely register what was happening, and her face was flushed in furious red. 

She snapped out of her thoughts when he snatched her hand. He wasn't very smooth and subtle about it.

"Is this how I'm supposed to do it?" 

As cliche at it sounded, the first thing she noticed was how perfectly their hands fit together, his long and thin fingers completing the space left in hers. Although his grip was much too tight and she squirmed.

"Ow! Be more gentle," she said. He loosened his deadly grip on her hand and together they walked down towards the dining room. Emiko's could hear the ringing of her heartbeat in her ears. _What would Silva and Kikyo say? Why wasn't Illumi fazed by this at all? ... No surprise there though._

The dining room was a sight for sore eyes.

Three benches whole roast deer with sprigs of rosemary threaded through its antlers and stuffed with bacon and rye bread, marinated Glenloth chicken, grilled trout with lemon, all sorts of varieties of salads and side dishes. The other three benches were dedicated to desserts had on them lemon tarts, rhubarb crème brûlée, orange blossom cakes, minted strawberries fresh from the garden, meringues so beautifully shaped it was a pity to eat them and apple strudels served with ice-cream. All this for Killua, who looked quite detached. This of course, deeply saddened Kikyo, who had been sighing over ten times in the past half hour. As each family member took their seats, dinner commenced. 

"You told him not to come home? How could you make this decision without consulting me?" Kikyo asked a tired looking Silva.

He grabbed some bread, pointed it at Killua, and stated, "He's here now, isn't he?"

Killua occasionally glanced at Emiko who had on a remorseful expression whenever they locked eyes. There would be a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he looked at Illumi, who seemed completely unperturbed by what was happening. 

Kalluto sat quietly while this interaction took place, placing food into his mouth in a slow, constant pace. In contrast, Milluki's eyes lit up the moment he saw the food laid out, grabbing pieces of each variety without a moment to spare.

"Stop hogging all the meat," Kalluto commented, glaring at Milluki.

"Huh? There's a lot to spare, mind your own business," Milluki retorted. 

"You ate all the chicken," Killua grunted, glaring at the pile of drumsticks on Milluki's plate. 

Milluki growled in annoyance and finally yelled, "Fine! Have one!" He flung a half eaten drumstick onto Killua's plate, making a splattering noise as it bounced off the plate and onto the floor. One of the butlers picked it up.

Killua looked at his brother exasperatedly, "What are you doing? Do you want me to slash open your figurines again?"

This made Milluki's eyes grow wide in fear, "No! Don't you dare touch my figurines!" It seemed he was almost ready to abandon his drumsticks and rush back into his room, " Emiko! Kil's being disrespectful again!"

"Emiko this, Emiko that! Why are you such a crybaby?!" Killua shouted back. 

Zeno, who was on the far end of the table, shook his head while eating, secretly amused by the multiple loud exchanges going on in the table. 

Emiko giggled at the sight in front of her and absentmindedly said, "I wonder what would it would be like to have kids of my own someday."

Without missing a beat, Illumi responded, "Oh? Well let's try it out."

This statement made Silva spit out his drink, and Kikyo drop her fork. Silence immediately enveloped the room like a thick, uncomfortable blanket before Zeno slammed his fist on the table, chuckling to himself. 

Milluki, who had been shoving drumsticks in his mouth had stopped eating as he stared at his brother in shock. He grimaced at the thought of little Illumis running around the estate. To him, his brother was a really awkward mixture of uncomfortably observant and completely dense, so never, _ever_ in a million years had he ever expected any kind of relationship to bloom. Yet...

Killua choked on his food. He had a similar expression, a good mixture of bewilderment and disgust. He suddenly remembered what Kurapika had said to him a while back. How he would use his Chains to kill every Phantom Troupe member. How he was going to kill her. He wondered why that was the first thought to pop into his head. A chill ran down his spine. He wanted to shout. Scream at Emiko and tell her to run away, to quit the Troupe, to scream that his brother was incapable of love. That she was being stupid. Yet when he saw the look in Emiko's eyes he begrudgingly forced himself to clamp his mouth shut. 

Illumi was oblivious as to why he had received this reaction, "Mother, Father. Emiko and I have decided to pursue a relationship."

This earned even another round of baffled looks from his family. 

"Is this true, Emiko?" Silva asked.

Emiko scanned the room, finding some sort of amusement in the Zoldycks' reactions. She smiled from ear to ear, "It is."

"Why?!" Killua blurted out. 

"Kil!" Kikyo scolded.

Silva cleared his throat, and a pleased smile came upon his face, "Well, this might be quite needless for me to say, but Emiko, welcome to the family."

"What are you talking about, dear? She's always been part of our family," Kikyo interjected softly.

And although Illumi's face did not reflect how pleased he was, he couldn't help but think how Emiko's grin was so bright, it outshone the moon in the night sky.


	16. Illumi x Emiko x and x Hisoka

Emiko's lips broke into a smile when she spotted Illumi standing on the rooftop. 

"Hi," she greeted, opening her arms to welcome him in an embrace. 

"Hi," he echoed, turning away, completely oblivious to her gesture. When she stood next to him, his gaze lingered on her for a moment before he pinched her cheek out of some weird display of affection, earning an "Ow!" from Emiko.

“Oh! I forgot! I wasn’t being gentle just now.”

"...It's okay." Emiko rubbed her cheek in delicate motions. Once, his clumsy affection had felt uncomfortable, but now it was a familiar and welcome touch simply because it was his. Any other would have felt strange and unwanted. 

Illumi knew the concept of a relationship well enough that it required some romance even though he considered it for the most part unnecessary, but he would do little things for her here and there, and pay her compliments, even if they seem insincere or really rude, he truly meant them.

“You don't seem as sick as yesterday, Emiko," he commented plainly, before giving her a peck on the lips.

"I looked sick yesterday?" Emiko questioned.

"Yeah, you looked quite pale," Illumi responded.

Emiko found Illumi's idea of affection was somewhat odd and quite awkward. For the most part, his kisses were very quick, very uncalculated and just on a whim on his part. Most of the time.

For Illumi, kissing is more a means to an end. He found that Emiko became so nice, breathless and pliant after he's made out with her, and it also staked a claim for anyone who could be watching. Not that he would be caught if he didn't mean to. If someone caught Emiko and Illumi kissing, it was intentional.

"Oh my, two of my favorite people," chimed a familiar voice. 

"Ah. Hisoka," Illumi said, "I believe you've met my dear Emiko before."

"I certainly have," Hisoka said without a moments delay.

Hisoka held Emiko's hand and instead of shaking it, brought it to his lips, which made her very confused. 

"It is a pleasure to be working with you again, Emi-ko," he smiled sweetly, his voice laced with mischief, "...I would love to taste those sweet lips of yours again."

Emiko didn't need to look at Illumi to sense his bloodlust oozing at this interaction. Hisoka, however, was very much amused.

"I'm only messing with you, Illumi," Hisoka said calmly, chuckling, "I just think Emiko is quite special. She must be such a delicacy..." He licked his lips, his golden predatory eyes slowly and deliberately combing over her body. Emiko held her breath, partly afraid Hisoka would say something troublesome, and partly because she was trying to control herself from punching his face, "I hope you enjoy those lips as much as I did."

Emiko knew how to keep a poker face, all those Christmas Eves spent gambling with Zeno and Silva had paid off after all. So long as she appeared nonchalant, no pinkness in her cheeks to betray her, everything would be just fine.

Hisoka had always been fascinated by Emiko. He always felt a strong yet ominous aura wavering over her, which made him want her more.

The first time they fought, Emiko decided against using " _Blood Linkage_ ". It was forbidden to fight against other Troupe Members, let alone kill them. But that day, Hisoka’s golden eyes were delighted and wide, wearing a smile that screamed excited pleasure. Cuts all over both their bodies from their intense fight - Emiko's from Hisoka's dangerously sharp cards, and Hisoka's from a combination of Emiko's air razors and scythe. She had unintentionally caught herself in his Bungee Gum, like a butterfly stuck in a spider's web, and his strong fingers had gripped her jaw, pulling her eyes to meet the frightening glow of gold. Emiko had let out a small whimper, and Hisoka had inhaled sharply at the sound, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip, arousal bright in his eyes. 

"I am undeniably attracted to you," he admitted that day, trailing his tongue over the shell of her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Her mind had creamed, the sound building in her chest, but there was no release. her mouth stayed closed. The scream stayed trapped. Tired of feeling helpless, Emiko had quivered in rage , and the first thing that came into her mind was " _Life or Death_ ". It was the perfect opportunity, and so she had claimed his lips in a feverish kiss. She did not care about the consequences that would come from Chrollo in that moment, nor who would be affected by Hisoka's death. But he had answered her question with undeniable honesty. 

"What do you mean by that?" Illumi asked, a discrepancy between his cheery tone and vacant eyes. This cut Emiko's train of thoughts.

She swallowed, her throat tight and her chest heavy. She scowled at Hisoka, who had a delighted gleam in his eyes, obviously entertained by what was about to play out. She almost couldn’t tell what was more disturbing; how quickly aroused he was getting or the fact he was making no effort in hiding that fact.

"Nothing, really," Emiko bit her lip and avoided Illumi's intense stare, "We just fought before, that's all."

"And during this fight, the two of you kissed?" Illumi asked with an empty sort of nonchalance.

"Well-" Emiko started.

"Ding ding ding, bingo!" Hisoka interrupted, the corners of his lips quirking in amusement. He took a step towards Emiko, his eyes landing on her angry expression. She met his gaze as evenly as she could, hands balled into fists. 

"You are so beautiful, my little Emi..." Hisoka purred, lifting his hand to stroke her left cheek as a lopsided smile flickered across his face. Having had enough of this, Illumi swatted Hisoka's hand away, the impact so sudden and precise it had caught Hisoka off guard. 

A sigh escaped Illumi's lips as he stared at him dead in the eyes, "Hisoka,"

"Hm?"

There was something hard in his tone, frightening,

"The next time you touch her, I'll kill you."

Emiko's eyes widened at his brazen statement. She blinked at him, heart clenching at how casually he mentioned killing Hisoka. Whether it be Illumi’s suffocatingly protective nature over her, or the cost of being a Zoldyck, she was unsure where the roots of his jealousy lay, but it was something she had grown to accept.

"Fine, fine... Your blood lust is showing," Hisoka trailed off, wild excitement unconcealed in his tone. He withdrew his hand.

"So, Hisoka, you probably don't watch the news," Illumi changed the subject, "The election was held because Chairman Netero died. Rumors say he died alongside the mutant Ants he was fighting and the Association received a lot of land in reward."

"Ants?" Hisoka questioned.

"As I thought," Illumi shook his head lightly, "A lot's happened around the world while you were chasing Chrollo. if you stop to think for a moment you could have fought the chairman or the Ants."

"That would require stopping to think..." Hisoka mused, "Maybe you can become my manager?" 

Illumi did not react to Hisoka's proposal, "Gon and Killua also joined the Ant Hunt. Gon's on the verge of death, and Killua's gone to speak to our father."

At the sound of Gon's name, Hisoka's ears perked up in interest, "What did you say?"

"At this rate, they'll both die," Emiko clarified.

"Both of them?"

Illumi nodded, "I can't have that happen."

"Illumi, explain clearly," Hisoka's expression serious.

Emiko instinctively reached out to grab Illumi's hand. She laid her fingers lightly against his, and instead of flinching like he usually did, he felt soothed by it. He squeezed her hand lightly, reminding himself to be gentle.

Looking away with a faraway look in his eyes, Illumi explained, "There is actually another younger Zoldyck brother... I want to get rid of him."

Emiko felt something buzz in her pocket. She glimpsed at her phone - 9:04 P.M.

"Illumi, we should go," she reminded, gently tugging on his arm, "We'll miss the ship. We can continue explaining this once we're there. We have the entire night." She locked eyes with Hisoka, and motioned for him to follow them.

"Come on," she urged.

Emiko wasn't sure if it was the situation at hand that influenced the ominous nature of that night. The pier seemed forlorn in the cold waves. Under the grew sky, the water was dark without the speckles of light that came with a starry night and the wood that jutted out from the beach was closer to black than brown. 

Her hand still in Illumi's, they walked down the pier, and while she strained to see the purple starfish that clad the supporting posts so thickly that in places no wood could be seen, he kept his eyes serenely on the horizon. Their shoes clacked over the various hues of wooden boards as they entered the ship. 

After checking in and other administrative chores, the three of them made their way to the bar. 

"What would you like?" Illumi asked Emiko.

She shrugged, "Whatever you're having."

"Make that three," Hisoka chimed, holding up three fingers. 

As if realising her weariness for the first time that night, Emiko slumped down onto one of the bar stools. She propped her head on her hands as she watched the ocean breathe, its surface rising and falling with rhythmic ease. She considered using this time to practice her control over water. She placed her hand on the glass, the only thing separating her from the vast body of water. 

The ocean had always conjured comforting ideas into her head. The sea was perfectly calm today, almost like a peaceful lake, and its soft murmurs were scarcely audible. The waves seemed to sleep. A line of darker blue marked the curve of the horizon.

"Emi-ko?" 

His velvet smooth voice preceded him by a slight margin and Emiko didn’t have the grace to act surprised when he slipped onto the stool beside her. Close enough that she could feel the body heat coming off him. Undisguised familiarity in the action. Her blood pressure spiked. 

"What do you want?" she spoke dismissively. 

“Hmm? What’s wrong, my little fruit? Am I being a bother?” Humming in amusement, Hisoka propped his chin against his hand, elbow on the bar, and leveled you with an infuriatingly knowing smirk, "Is it such a sin for me to want to be in your presence?"

"Hisoka."

A voice to their backs interrupted before Emiko could hurl whatever insult she undoubtedly intended Hisoka's way. The coldness of Illumi's voice forced Hisoka to pause, the silence thick with tension.

"Oops," A soft chuckle resonated deep in Hisoka's throat, no trace of guilt in his eyes. Despite that, he moved himself over, creating a spot for Illumi to sit, inbetween Hisoka himself and Emiko. 

The three glasses of whiskey clinked against each other as Illumi set them down, resuming their earlier conversation, "His name is Alluka."

Emiko continued to stare at the ocean as Illumi filled Hisoka in on the details. Emiko had met Alluka a few times, but she was always told to keep her distance. Illumi always made sure that when Nanika made an appearance, a request would be made to a butler before allowing Emiko to approach. 

Eventually, Illumi concluded, "And if things go wrong, and thousands of lives are lost, it won't just be Killua, Gon, Emiko and myself. Every Zoldyck will die. And you'll probably die too, Hisoka." 

At the sound of this, Hisoka could feel himself tense up, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead, "Oh, this is a problem..."

"It'll be fine," Emiko said, "None of us will die alright? I promise. And Hisoka, I didn't know you were this frightened of dying. You should see the look on your face." She giggled, a hint of a smile on her lips. 

Hisoka's eyes twitched in response, "Oh, you don't want to play this game with me, my darling Emiko."

"Speaking of games, we've got half a night left on this ship. Let's do something," Emiko suggested, completely disregarding his comment. 

"Okay, let's see who can kill the most people on this boat," Hisoka proposed, mischief lurking in his lips and eyes.

"No!" Emiko shouted exasperatedly, earning a few odd looks from other passengers. She slapped a hand to her forehead and shook her head. The worst part of this was that Hisoka wasn't joking one bit.

"It's late," Illumi stood up, finishing his drink in a few gulps, "Let's go to bed, Emiko."

There was something sharp about the way Illumi said her name, but Emiko shrugged it off and followed Illumi back to their room.


	17. First x Time *[nsfw]

The moment they entered their room, Emiko grabbed a chair, feeling relief as she got to it. Between her dread and her legs shaking, she had been afraid she'd trip. The silence had been so overwhelming on their way back, and it continued to linger in the air.

"Look, I'm sorry," she murmured, trying to salvage the situation, "It's one of my powers. You know that."

Ever since Hisoka revealed the past to Illumi, he had been acting just a little colder towards Emiko, who of course, noticed this immediately. However, she had chosen to hold back her protests and acted like everything was under control.

"Didn't you tell me you preferred using your scythe? Why did you feel the need to use _Life or Death_ with Hisoka?" he asked, voice devoid of any emotion besides annoyance. Dark eyes met hers, pitiless and empty. Illumi was mad, she could taste in the air of the room, a tense and heavy weight against her.

“If you can prove to me that I can trust you to obey me on your own,” Illumi said, running the sharp tips of his nails up her neck, forcing her to raise her chin, to meet the bottomless void his dark eyes, “I’ll forgive you.”

"Forgive? Obey?" Emiko cried out, " _Excuse me?!_ "

Emiko didn't like being interrogated. They both knew that she was skilled enough to come out unscathed in battle - Illumi himself has seen it firsthand. She didn't understand why he was getting so upset over something that happened half a year ago, during battle. It was not like she was dating Hisoka, she was dating _him_.

With no warning, total darkness prevailed the ship as clouds thickened and the sky was stricken, blotting out the moonlight and stars. The wind arose to push the still waters to choppy, which morphed into mountains of angry waves. 

"You know what, I'm a capable fighter! I don't need you -" Lightning flashed on a far away lighthouse, like a serpent of brilliant light sent to bite the earth. Then the sky shook with the cry of the thunder as Emiko gritted her teeth angrily, her jaw tense and her entire body emitting dangerous aura.

"You don't need me?" He interjected calmly, his voice light and unaffected.

 _To protect me!_ She wanted to say. _I don't need you to protect me!_ A bolt of lightning struck nearer. It rolled across the ship, announcing the start of what the brooding cloud layers were promising.

Illumi knew what was happening outside, though he chose to pay less to no attention to it. He didn't fully understand the scope of Emiko's powers but he knew they were unpredictably perilous. It made sense - as the universe was once a single point, so was her soul in this stormy sea at this very moment. Even when they were younger, she was always extremely quick-minded and strong willed. A little part of him thought she may have the chance to kill him if that ever happened. But of course, that would be very unlikely.

And then he felt something surge through him - a mixture of desire, euphoria and clarity created an odd mix. He was never uncertain before but right now, he could say with every fiber of his being that he wanted her to himself. By nature, he was not a person who was fond of sharing. But through seeing first hand, bit by bit, day by day, the cosmic display of power she had in her soul, he knew that his father had been right all along. Was this how it was supposed to feel? 

It didn't matter. All he knew was that his father was right. He was in love with her. No, he _is_.

"If that's the way you think, perhaps I can't let you go unpunished," he said simply.

She didn’t understand for a second, mind scrambling for answers. A blast of aura rushed up from her body like an explosion - a blast of flame and great rags of fire, changing from red to violet and back through the spectrum to red again, bits of it soaring and dissipating in the air every once in a while. It engorged the atmosphere as it rose, twisting, writhing, changing shape, turning to dark smoke in one moment and belching flame and crackling with lightning the next.

 _Unpunished._ Hearing Illumi say that word gave Emiko a complicated feeling, an anticipation that could either lead to something very, very good or very, very bad. The first emotion that surged through her was confusion. Then, anger. She swallowed hard. The rain outside was lashing down outside, torrential, unforgiving. Another crack of lightning rented the air, and within seconds the rolling boom of thunder reverberated overhead.

“What do you mean unpunished?” she finally asked, her voice hesitant. She felt his frightening flash of Aura, just for a second, but forced her own to cover any fear.

Illumi approached her. “You're scared,” he asserted lightly, choosing to obliviate her question. His impossibly dark eyes mesmerized her as much as they petrified her. And for the first time in her life, Emiko felt just a little bit terrified of Illumi. His eyes' distracting allure made it shocking when he suddenly grabbed her, lifting her up like she were nothing and taking her to the bed.

“No, I... I could never be afraid of you, Illumi,” Emiko imbued her voice with forced softness. She smiled with warmth as she caressed his cheek. Obtaining affection from his childhood friend had a pattern of eliciting a state of euphoria in Illumi, but for the moment, he continued to stare at her with a detached coldness. 

Emiko looked up at him, her emotions and thoughts and hundreds of words swelling to the surface and bubbling to her lips, before dying and dissipating into the prolonged silence. Given this opportunity, holding the singular attention of his dark eyes, she had nothing to offer.

“There’s no reason to be scared,” he told her evenly, unconvinced, “I won’t hurt you.”

"I'm not," Emiko repeated. This time she meant it. There was no need for her to be frightened of him. They have known each other for over 20 years. He was only trying to protect her. She sighed.

"Look, I won't do it again," she assured, "I promise."

A pause. Emiko felt the cruise ship shake with the tides before forgivingly resuming its gentle course. 

“Good!” Illumi exclaimed, the suffocating faux-happiness in his tone making her flinch.

Something swirled deeply within his dark gaze, an unquestionable hypnotic power that made her weak and breathless. Spread across his sharp features there was an inkling of romance novel-esque pout of love or lust, an expression that was intense and undeniable. Illumi’s body was close enough that she could feel his warmth, smell the sharp minty scent she associated with him as his hands roamed her skin with a touch light enough to make her shiver.

Warmth radiated from her body, her eyes a little too wide and heart thudding audibly in the silence as he held her gaze. For a moment, Illumi found himself mesmerized by how responsive she was when he reached out and touched her. He made a mental note to do it more often. He wondered why she still looked frightened.

How else would he know she was safe if she didn't comply with him? If you love someone, you want to protect them and keep them close, don’t you?

He felt himself slipping, his annoyance getting the better of him and his brain fogging itself with nothing but frustration and a hint of arousal.

Arousal was a strange thing to need. Illumi needed physical satisfaction in order to function properly, but arousal was something unique to his interactions with her. Attraction was a factor as well, the way her body drew his eyes. 

"Let this serve as a warning," he started. Emiko held her breath while she waited for him to continue.

"Your body belongs to me as much as your mind does," he told her, and looking into his eyes, she knew he was right. She felt her body respond to his, arching her back as she held on to him.

Dominating and controlling. Possessive, Illumi’s hands staked a claim as they ran over her neck and shoulders, as they brushed over her chest and the curve of her waist, the shape of her hip. Hands so cold they burned, leaving a trail of imagined fire in their wake. Familiar hands, ones that had touched her countless times. Their auras mingled together, molding into one. 

His hand cupped her face before dropping, forcing her eyes to meet his. Dark anger swirled in that oh-so-familiar black, mixing with a manic lust. Emiko has never seen Illumi like this. Just a while ago, they had their first kiss. She was always the one initiating anything affectionate. It was sometimes difficult to tell if Illumi liked it when she did those things, but he never complained.

But this. This was different.

"What if someone comes in?" A small moan escaped Emiko's lips as her eyes darted towards the door.

"Then let them," he replied, unfazed.

Illumi did not really care that much or feel too much embarrassment about being seen naked or caught in the act. It’d be different if the person were to see Emiko naked, however, he predicted he would get pretty upset about that. He would probably kill them, or just needle their eyes out.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice holding an odd sort of fervor that didn’t at all match the light tone.

“Tell me how much you love me.”

"Love?" Emiko stammered.

“Well?” he asked, frustration finally having edged its way into his even tone as he continued to stare at her blankly. She didn't think it was going to unfold like this. Her confession.

He slipped his arms around her waist a little bit more securely. She slowly leaned forward, placing a soft kiss onto his lips,

"I love you, Illumi."

That was all it took for him to let go of his self control.

His tongue tasted sweet as he pressed himself into her, kissing her hard enough to slow her breath and accelerate the beat of her heart. His coat fell from one shoulder, hanging limp at his side as he clutched her waist, digging his nails into the airy fabric of her sleep shirt. She caught her hands in his long luxurious hair, gripping his scalp as she heaved herself up on her toes to pull him closer.

The tang of his kiss stung her jaw and the soft skin of her neck as he kissed down to her collarbone. Shuttering, cold air caught her skin as he tore a hole at the crew neck, opening her shoulder up to him. Lips falling open, she threw her arms around his neck in a desperate embrace. 

"Your touch is like fire," Emiko mumbled breathlessly, "I... I want to keep going." The cold fabric of his jacket grazed her fingers as she pushed it to the floor. 

He looked at her searching her eyes for any sign of hesitation. When he couldn't find any, his lips curled in satisfaction. She slipped between his legs. Towering over him with a cheeky but nervous grin, she ran her palms over his hair, digging into the roots to pull his head back to her lips.

“Not yet,” Illumi told her with a building mania he could recognize as his own lust, happy to find how wet she was when he pushed two fingers into her.

Her hips jumped into the sudden obtrusion, a yelp leaving her mouth and her thighs attempting to close before she thought better of it and forced them open with a muffled groan.

By the time they got around to the main act, he had unraveled her to a point of being able to do nothing more than cling to him and cry out his name, her complete dependence on him in these moments would be the thing he craves the most. He wanted her mind to be empty of everything except him, and it was.

“If you had just listened to me…. I wouldn’t have to be so rough,” Illumi had told her, his voice showing signs of being affected by his building climax.

That slight strain in the way he spoke sent a jolt of heat through her, as it always did. To witness the unraveling of a man who was of otherwise unflappable had a uniquely erotic appeal, even like this.

"Ill-lumi..." She moaned. The breathily broken way his name fell from her mouth was a particularly pleasing sound. It sent a stroke of heat through him, a remarkably physical sensation Illumi knew to call desire. There was something deeply pleasurable about knowing how easily he could unravel her.

How desperate she was for his touch.

How desperately she cried out, unbelievably sensitive, with each mark he sucked into the soft skin of her chest and neck, acting on the compulsion to mark her. 

She moaned loudly, her nails scratching his wide shoulders. “Oh fuck!”she cried out. Her whole body shook in his arms, while she threw her head back again. Her cheeks and chest red and eyes squeezed. Her thighs trembled with the desire to close, tensing and shaking with effort, her knees bending and heels digging into the mattress.

Illumi watched, almost fascinated with the way pleasure drove her wild, her eyebrows furrowing and lips parting, moaning his name and begging for him in increasingly incomprehensible words. The sight of her like this was depraved in a way he wouldn’t normally think could be attractive, but to have her so truly at his mercy was unbelievably erotic, covered in marks he’d left and shuddering with the pleasure he’d given her. His breathing was harsh, his fingers flexing against her scalp and pace no longer steady. She knew he was close, she could feel him chasing it with every erratic thrust. She almost screamed when she finished, clenching around him with his name and profanities falling from her mouth. 

Illumi folllowed her soon after, making a sound almost like a growl before it open up into a softer moan. The pace slowed, his hips driving deep with an uneven tempo as he rode out the entire thing inside her. She cried out between gasping breaths, her mind still driven mad in the blinding flow of pleasure.

Every movement of his made her twitch and shutter, mind glazed and body trembling with aftershocks.When he was done, Illumi took a deep breath, but Emiko couldn’t tell if it was in satisfaction or lingering irritation. 

“You did well,” he complimented her casually as he pulled away and adjusted his clothes. Emiko hid a frown at his unintentionally condescending words.

His gaze lingered on her just a moment more, a softer look in his eyes and the smallest twitch of a smile on his lips, "Next time, let's make a child." 

Emiko's mouth twitched, fighting a smile. "It's a bit too early for that, but yes. One hundred and ten percent yes." A little flustered at his piercing honesty, she pushed her face into him, pushing herself into his embrace.

“Illumi, I’m sorry," she muttered after a while, her voice muffled by his shirt. She could feel the lingering ecstasy fading, making her eyelids heavy as she started slipping into deep slumber. He gently laid her head down on the bed and she buried her head into his neck, her fingers curled around his torso as she pulled him closer.

Illumi watched her drift off before letting his hand move protectively around her.

In seconds, her body has moulded with his own, warming each other in this chilly night. He could never let another close to him like this, but she was so different. Although he sometimes questions her intentions, he had never known a person to always have the right motivations, even when she was wrong. There was a purity to her, naivety perhaps, but she was the only light in his eyes.

He decided he would stay awake for a little longer to enjoy this proximity, something he was not used to but that sure felt nice. She looked up at him. There was a faint curve to his lips, but there was no crease below the eyes, no movement on the cheeks. On anyone else, it would be a grimace at best. On Illumi however, Emiko knew it was a sign of bliss.

He patted her head with a smile that in no way reached his eyes, “I forgive you."

"I love you," she mumbled.

Illumi’s hand stroked the back of her head, his hum vibrating against her skin as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

“I know. I love you too."


	18. Killua x Alluka x and x Nanika

Illumi and Hisoka dashed out of the car in a hurry, just in time to catch seven different aircrafts soar through the air, all heading in their unique directions. Emiko followed suit, just in time to see the slightest twitch of frustration on Illumi's face.

"We're too late, why don't we just wait around the hospital?" Hisoka suggested.

"No, the closer we are to the hospital, the less likely we are to succeed," Illumi answered. 

Emiko tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I could turn their aircraft around. I've never done it before, but I think I could." 

Hisoka's eyes lit up at this proposition, his eyes dancing in gleeful anticipation. Illumi however shook his head, "No. It's a waste of your aura."

"Eight..." Hisoka counted, "We need more people."

"I'd ask Fei, or the rest of the Troupe, but it'd take too long for them to get here," Emiko pondered, "Will you bring in more allies, Hisoka?"

"But I'm pretty shy..." Hisoka pouted his lips in a childlike manner.

"Shy," Emiko snorted, "Right." 

"No, I have no more allies. Seems like a waste, but I guess I'll use my needles." Without further ado, Illumi unclipped several yellow needles from his outerwear, infusing them with his _Nen_. 

"Oh... That's some nice aura," Hisoka complimented as Illumi held his needles up.

"If I stick them in someone and give orders, they'll work for me until death. Though, they usually die from working too hard," Illumi paused, "Well, let's go."

The first time Emiko has seen Illumi do this, it was on corpses. She had opposed to it quite strongly. What was dead should remain dead.

He had responded with, “You would prefer I have living people die for me than dead people live for me? Interesting.” 

That night, Illumi and Emiko trudged themselves out of the bushes as they spotted a familiar flash of white hair heading in their direction. Behind the young Zoldyck, a driver sat perfectly still behind the car wheels, needles in his head as he stared blankly into space. 

A frightened look on Killua's face as he took a defensive stance, droplets of tears forming on the sides of his face as he gaped at the two figures in front of him. 

"Kil, you seem to be hiding something from me about Alluka," Illumi asserted. 

At the mention of Alluka's name, Killua's hand protectively found its way to Alluka's shoulder as he quickly considered his options. Colored drained from his face as his breathing grew heavier. He would never admit his fear. He could be at a level that would induce paralysis in others and yet he would carry on as if nothing was wrong. 

_Run_ , a part of Emiko wanted to yell. She tried to smile at Alluka, although it came out more as a strange looking lopsided grin.

"Emiko!" Alluka waved. Emiko raised a hand and waved.

"How did you know we were here?" Killua demanded. 

"If I tell you, will you give me Alluka?" Illumi asked, splaying his hand out.

Eyebrows furrowed indignantly, Killua shouted, "Forget it. I won't ask."

"It's me," confessed another voice, "The fool who was completely tricked." A trustworthy butler Emiko recognised as Tsubone stepped out of the shadows, wearing a black formal suit and a monocle on her right eye. Emiko remembered how Tsubone's tall and bulky appearance used to scare the living daylights out of her when she was young. 

"Oh, it's Tsubone!" Alluka exclaimed cheerily. 

"Your mother can see everything that I see through this scope," Tsubone revealed, pointing at the monocle, "She probably transmitted the video to you, Master Illumi."

"Bingo. Tsubone served as our spy," Illumi affirmed, "So you did feel us watching. You're really something. Well, you know the truth, but you can't remove that scope because Mother ordered you to wear it."

"Yes, you're completely right," Tsubone kept a faux smile as she spoke to Illumi.

"Tsubone! Give me the nail from your middle finger!" Alluka requested, hands held out. 

Emiko felt her brain stutter for a moment and every part of her went on pause while her thoughts caught up. Instinctively, she grabbed Illumi's hand for comfort, and she could feel how stiff he was as he watched the butler rip out her own nail. 

She smiled ear to ear as Tsubone dropped her bloody nail in her hands. 

"Tsubone! Give me the nail from your ring finger!" 

"Yes, that's easy enough," Tsubone complied without a moment of hesitation.

And at once, Alluka's face morphed into something unfathomable. Emiko held her breath, her mouth running dry and her stomach turning in an unfriendly way. " _Something_ ", as they called it, had begun to manifest, tinging Alluka's sclerae, irises and mouth pitch black, causing the latter to appear larger.

"Now, Master Killua, make your wish," Tsubone encouraged, "Amane and I will take care of the rest. Please allow me this opportunity to make amends for impeding your mission."

"Are you going to do it? That's fine. That means when you save Gon, you'll follow the same process, right? If you'd sacrifice those two to kill me, you won't have any problem sacrificing a bunch of strangers to save Gon," Illumi said. He had a way with his words. He had a way of making them crawl deep within your skin, wrapping themselves around your heart.

"If you say yes, I'll be happy to die - "

"No," Emiko stepped forward, "Killua, don't." She pleaded with her eyes as she hook her head.

Killua gritted his teeth, conflicted with the decision he had to make, "Why?!" he demanded, "Why are you protecting him?! He's a monster."

Emiko flinched at those words, ""He's your brother. How could you say that?"

"How could you not?!" Killua retorted, "He probably planted a needle in your brain too."

Emiko contemplated her reply before a sigh escaped her lips and she murmured, "I know."

 _He only wants to protect me,_ she knew that from the very bottom of her heart. Illumi's perception of love and protection may be a little skewed, but it was _his_ perception, truly and undeniably, and she had come to accept that a long time ago.

Killua staggered backwards at her response, his mind swirling, his breaths shallow and his legs threatening to fall in a heap to the floor, "Y-You knew? H-Ho- Why?!" He was painfully bewildered at the fact that she agreed to be Illumi's partner. He felt sick. He could never fathom how anyone would willingly consent to that proposal, and deep inside, he worried for her. 

Illumi stepped forward, patting Emiko on the head, "Don't worry. If my death means no other family members will die, that's acceptable."

"No, it's not," Emiko argued.

"I don't want you to die. Is that so bad?" Illumi asked plainly. 

_I don't want you to die either,_ she wanted to scream, but this was an unwinnable argument. 

Illumi turned to face Killua, "It's against the rules for family members to kill one another, but the thing that will grant your wish," he extended a finger at Alluka, "Isn't family." 

Tears brimmed in Killua's eyes, and the anger from his eyes showed the scared child within. Emiko could see the pain within it, boiling deep in his system, threatening to spill. 

"Go ahead then, I'm offering you a deal, Kil. My death in exchange for your word that you yourself will make the wish to save Gon."

Killua took deep, staggering breaths and instead of lowering his head he lifted it, a stony glare carved into his eyes. Fury blurred his sight but he tightened his jaw and glared. He snarled more than spoke, "Something, heal Tsubone's left hand."

"'Kay."

Something steadily wobbled towards Tsubone, "Hand... Hand..."

The moment It touched Tsubone's fingers, bright light seared through the perimeter, a glow that seemed serenely supernatural. Magical. 

"Something is skilled at destroying, but fixing isn't her forte. When she's fixing, she must touch the target," Killua explained, "But..." he trailed off.

"Killua, pat my head!" Something jumped into her older brother's arms, gently demanding attention.

"Of course I will. That was amazing, Something," Killua praised, complying with the command. Upon giving a few more pats, Something had drifted off to sleep, her arms still tangled around Killua's neck.

"But," Killua continued, "Something is the one who calls me ' _Killua_ '. Healing someone is tiring, so Something must sleep. But that's it," he swung Something up in his arms and held her tight, "Something has never made a cruel request after healing someone! Something is kinder than anyone. The one who's cursed is the one who wishes."

He bared Illumi the same cold look, a vein almost popping in his temple and his fists tightly clenched, "If you refer to Something as an object again, I won't consider you my brother anymore."

Illumi didn’t sound upset, despite the general tone of the conversation, speaking casually and in a matter-of-fact voice, "Understood, Kil. If you can heal Gon without any risk, that's terrific. But that doesn't change the fact that Something is dangerous, and my questions remain unanswered. Kil, you're still hiding something. Such as how Milluki's rule number 5 doesn't apply to you. Until you tell me everything, I won't let Alluka go."

He grabbed Emiko's shoulder and said casually, "Let's take our leave."

And so they turned on their heel and left. 

It was three in the morning, and even the birds were quiet. Emiko scanned Illumi's face for a reaction but found none. The silence hung in the air like a suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Emiko finally asked.

"Yes," Illumi said casually, "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"Well, no, but..." she trailed off, her eyebrows creasing into a 'v' shape.

"Right. That reminds me. I noticed your hands were pretty cold yesterday. Here," he fished around his pockets before handing them a pair of new gloves, "You can be warm now."

Emiko stared at the gloves exasperatedly, "T-Thanks. I mean, you could also just hold my hands, but-"

"Oh, you should've said so," Illumi took them away from her grip, replaced them with his hand as he threw the gloves into the bushes.

"Wait!" Emiko yelped, "I didn't say I didn't want them!"

A little exasperated, Illumi said, "Okay, I'll ask one of my Needlemen to look for them."

Emiko couldn't help but let out a giggle, "Thank you. I love you."

“You do, don’t you,” Illumi said, reading the truth easily in her eyes. His tone became warmer, sweeter, brushing a lock of hair off of her face, “That’s good. You know I love you."


	19. Illumi x and x Emiko Zoldyck

When Illumi asked her to go on a date the night before, Emiko was thrown into a whirlwind of confusion. She had paused whatever she was doing, the cup in her hand practically falling to the ground with a loud shatter.

This wasn't the first time Illumi had been apparent about his feelings - a while ago they had decided to start a relationship. This was though, the first time he had initiated something bigger than a pat on the head, or a careful touch of the hand.

No matter what it was, it still didn’t ever change the surprise that flooded her when he did. 

She tilted her head up slightly to look at him. She couldn't remember the last time they did something as ordinary as walking down the streets aimlessly, eyes peeled for attractive sights and mouth watering delicacies. They wandered from stall to stall, sampling mulled wine and skewered meat, fondling velvet-line hood and tokens, but Emiko mulled over the sight from afar with her hands tucked in her pockets.

"When did you know you liked me?" She asked suddenly, finishing off the last of her skewer.

"When? I'm not sure -"

"You don't think I'll betray you?" She had interjected with another question before he had the chance to respond.

"I know you won't," he said firmly, "Not if we get married anyways." 

"Marriage?" Emiko nearly choked. Illumi had brought up the matter several times, always gauging out the same reaction from her.

"Well look, we've known each other for nearly twenty years. You know I won't even if we don't," she said with sincerity, "I promise."

“Speaking of marriage, how does marriage usually work?” He asked. When he turned to look at her, she was 20 feet away, ordering something at one of the stalls.

"Emiko, did you hear what I said?" 

She was distracted as she paid for her coffee, “What?” She called back.

“Marriage ceremonies for people, what are they like? How are they performed?”

"People? Are you trying to say that you're not people?" She joked.

"I'm curious," he said. 

Emiko absently stirred her straw. Illumi usually asked these odd, out of the blue sort of questions, so she wasn't too surprised by his curiosity regarding ceremonies. “Well... The couple exchanges vows in front of an official. Normally there are rings as well, and it’s usually done in front of friends and family, but some people elope and do it privately.”

Illumi hummed thoughtfully. “Vows are not exchanged for the Zoldycks. What are the normal vows like?”

"They're not exchanged? What about a ceremony?" Emiko asked inquisitively.

"Let's see. Mother and Father got married in Kukuroo Mountain, with a select few as witnesses. There was a celebratory feast."

Emiko sipped on her straw, the sharp taste of tangerine pricking her taste buds, “Okay. Well, it's stuff like ‘ _I, so-and-so, take you, so-and-so, to be my lawfully wedded husband-slash-wife_ ,’ and then there are some other stuff after that.”

“What ‘other stuff’?”

She answered, “There’s stuff like ‘ _for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health_ ’, a lot of things, and then, ‘ _until death us do par_ t’.”

“So if you were to marry me, you would say…?”

She stopped walking and arched a brow questionningly, “Illumi…” 

“What? Won't you humor me? There is no official here, so you just saying the words would not make us married, correct?”

Something seemed suspicious. But guessing he had a point, she rolled her eyes and pulled him aside, so they weren't standing in the middle of the street, halting crowds. “Fine. I would say this. I, Emiko Portor, take you, Illumi Zoldyck, to be my lawfully wedded husband. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health, until death us do part.”

Illumi nodded along with her thoughtfully. “Then I would say - I, Illumi Zoldyck, take you, Emiko Portor, to be my lawfully wedded wife. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health, until death us do part.”

She sipped her coffee,“Well done.”

“And then the vows are consummated?”

“Well, not immediately after the vows, but yes they are - What are you doing?!” She cried out as he took her coffee out of her hand and pulled her over his shoulder.

As if it was the most obvious thing in the world, he said, “We’re consummating our vows.” 

As they reached the Testing Gates, Zebro greeted them with a warm smile, "Good evening Miss Emiko and Master Illumi. Are you coming to rest? What about your mission?"

"Don't worry, Zebro! We're still keeping an eye on Killua," Emiko smiled back. 

The two of them opened the seventh and final door with ease. Illumi stopped in his tracks, "Ah. Zebro, next time, please call her Lady Emiko. She is my wife, and a Zoldyck now."

'Wi-Wif- Yes. Of course, Master Illumi," Zebro said, concealing his shock. He looked about ready to have a heart attack.

When the words finally sunk in, Emiko's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, mirroring Zebro's initial reaction, "W-W-Wife? What?!"

He continued to walk as if he didn't hear her question the first time. She picked up her pace to catch up with his strides. He finally stopped when they were midway through the garden. Emiko could still smell the scent of lilac and roses and poenies wafting through the air pleasantly.

He turned to her nonchalantly, “Why, my darling wife, what confuses you so?”

“We’re not married!” She insisted.

“Oh but we are," he said calmly, "Just an hour ago, we exchanged vows, and now we are about to consummate these vows. For the Zoldycks, that is all that is required.”

“B-But,” she spluttered, “There were no witnesses, no papers signed-”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “Witnesses? Paper? Such trivial matters are not required for marriages to be officially recognized.”

A thought struck her, “You said vows aren’t exchanged in your family!”

He shrugged, “I lied.”

Emiko's face washed blank with confusion, like her brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from her wide eyes. Every muscle of her body just froze before a grin crept onto her face, stretching so wide her cheeks started to hurt.

“We can make it official," he suggested softly, "So. Emiko."

She turned to look at him, meeting his eyes.

"Will you marry me?”

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach—she didn’t think he’d actually _ask_.

The answer was yes, of course, _yes_ , but her throat went dry at the sheer _suddenness_ of such a life altering question. 

"Yes."

He didn't reply at first.

“Wait here,” he said, pointing to where they stood, “Right here.”

And then he was gone, and Emiko could hear the faint thumping of his footsteps as he sprinted further and further away. She stayed still, anticipation mixing with excitement as she tried to work out what was going on. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. 

Married to Illumi Zoldyck. 

She wondered what that would be like. What their kids would be like.

On the general aspect of taking care of a baby, Emiko thought Illumi would be quite good. He wouldn't have any issues with changing diapers, waking up in the middle of the night, paying attention to the child, wanting to be a good father… Activities that stimulate the baby’s reactions? Good. Toys that help the baby’s development? Great. But there probably would come a time when he would consider starting training. That he should mix poison in the child’s food in order to build resistance. That he should get the same apparel that used to give him electrical shocks when he was younger. And that’s when the problems would start. A small laugh escaped Emiko's lips as she thought about the prospect of having a child with Illumi.

He returned after a few minutes, hair slightly out of place. He held out his hand, "We'll have a ceremony at the end of this mission."

His eyes snapped to her face as she took in the golden ring around his finger and the object in his palm.

A black velvet box. 

A black velvet box with a diamond ring nestled in silk padding.

As he slipped the ring on her finger, she spoke, "Can I be honest? During the ceremony, I ... don't think I'll say ' _until death do us part'_."

"And why is that?"

She engulfed him into a hug, her arms wrapping around his waist. He squeezed back, arms tightening around her in a strong embrace. With a ridiculously huge, vibrant smile on her face, she said, "Because, if I had a thousand lifetimes, I think I'd want them all to be with you."


	20. The x End

"You're right, it doesn't make sense," Emiko agreed, nodding her head thoughtfully, "The request for the latest computer should be more severe than just playing dead and a pat on the head..."

Still deep in thought, Emiko and Illumi approached the hospital, three guards dropping dead onto the floor with one flick of Illumi's hands. Needles in their heads and face down, they formed a small puddle of blood on the ground.

"When I heard Milluki's report, that was the first thing that seemed off. And when the two choice wish resulted in a simple kiss on the cheek, it demanded fingernails. A far too heavy price," Illumi pondered out loud. 

"The hint to resolving this contradiction lies in the wording Killua used. When making the two choice-wish, Killua wasn't asking. He was commanding," Emiko continued, "It makes sense that a command would work differently than a wish, and would not require payment upon completion." She nodded firmly, "Yup, that makes sense."

"Well, that's our conclusion, what do you think?"

Killua sat on a metal bench, Alluka in his arms sleeping soundly. Tsubone and Amane at his side. When he didn't respond, Illumi carried on, "I'll get to the point. I'm the one who can use Something's power, safely and effectively, for the Zoldyck family. As it stands, Alluka is no more than a spirit locked forever in one room. But, if I control him with you at his side, at the very least, I can guarantee his freedom."

"I'll protect Alluka," Killua declared, determination clear in his eyes. "Something, wake up," he commanded. Alluka's head turned outwards, sinister, black holes gazing into two pairs of eyes. 

"Killua, listen - " Emiko started.

"I still don't understand why you're with my brother," he said bluntly, "If he wants to take Alluka and Something away from me, I won't hesitate to take you away from him. You're a Spider. I can ask Something to use the Judgement Chain on you. Kurapika told me he'd use it on you, and I'm sure it's not outside Something's scope of power," he stopped for a moment to think, "Maybe that would be best. And I can't trust your words, Illu-nii. I need to show you how serious I am."

Emiko swallowed hard. The colour drained from her face, and she stood frozen in place, as white as a sheet of paper. "You don't mean that."

"No," Killua looked away,"...You're right. I don't. I ... consider you my friend." There was a pause before he finally muttered, "Maybe I'll just send you both home." He shook Alluka gently, "Something, take Emi-nee-san - "

Illumi's eyes narrowed. He took a step forward, "Kil. I told you -" 

Killua flinched, "Don't you ever lay a finger on us! Being controlled is the same as not living a life. It gives me this ... This... This feeling of death," he clutched his chest as angry tears welled up in his eyes, "How would you feel if Emi-nee-san was taken away from you?!"

"Emiko? Why would she ever die? I won't let anyone lay a finger on her."

Killua's eyes turned dark,"What if I told you I'd kill her then? The only rule is that family members aren't allowed to harm other family members, right?"

He suddenly remembered what Illumi had said about Alluka back then - _Not family_.

Red. Everything went red. His vision blurred as a flame curled in the pit of his stomach. Waves of fury rolled off him as the blood rose to his cheeks. The term anger, barely even touched the tip of the volcano that he so clearly was in that moment.

The mention of family made Emiko grow conscious of the ring circling her ring finger. Killua didn't know of this yet, of course. 

"Kil, you need to learn your place," Illumi warned.

_So much anger._

"... I'll kill her slowly. In front of your eyes." 

"'Kay."

"...Huh?" 

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Killua turned around just in time to see Nanika make an appearance. Illumi's eyes widened when he realised what was about to unfold. He ran towards Emiko, yet Nanika as inhumanly fast, her speed barely discerned by a normal pair of eyes.

"Wait! Killua -" Emiko cried out. She put her arms up in defence but time seemed to be moving at unimaginable speed, leaving nothing to be seen but a blurred trail of colors.

She stumbled back at impact, a new feeling of discomfort aching in her body. The pain wasn't truly pain at all. It had an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at her chest and stomach. There was nausea too, just enough to make her hold onto the wall for support and breathe slow. Emiko had often prized herself in ignoring pain and rocking on regardless, especially due to the harsh training she received as a child, but that wasn't possible right now. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. The only thing she could see was what was right in front of her.

"Wh..."

_...Was this it? Her nightmare?_

"Kil, what did you do?" Illumi's tone was dangerously sharp, his aura exploding into existence around him. 

But he knew.

An incomplete request of " _Something, take Emi-nee-san and Illu-nii back home_ " had unintentionally became, " _Something, take Emi-nee- san. I'll kill her slowly. In front of your eyes._ "

A request was still a request, albeit a sloppy one. 

"Get some doctors in here. Now," he ordered. 

"I'll call for help," Amane decided, sprinting towards the exit.

"I'll try to stop the bleeding," Tsubone said, but Emiko raised a hand as a motion to stop her.

Emiko cocked her head to the side, confused by Illumi's reaction. "What's going ..." Then she looked down, shaking at the sight of her blood soaked shirt, Alluka holding her wrist, and Killua's sharp claws piercing through her torso, "...On?"

Killua was no longer sitting, nor holding Alluka in his arms. He stood in front of Emiko, his hand buried deep in her flesh, and small, thick droplets had tumbled and spread onto the ground making arcs of scarlet. His face was washed blank with confusion, like his brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from his wide eyes.

When he finally came to, he let out an agonized cry, "H-H-How- E-Em-Emi-ne -" He pulled his hand back in shock, he stared, unable to move as blood gushed from the wound. He whimpered, his breath quivering, "I-I didn't ...I - I didn't ...-"

The violent red stained his shaking hands. The color burned in his mind along with what he had just done. A sickness crawled within him and he cursed at himself. He should have just sent them home. She would have been home. Safe. Alive. 

Emiko choked at the suddenness of his action. She could taste the coppery blood pooling in her mouth, grazing her teeth and soaking her tongue. She sucked in cramped air, feeling her lungs caving in on themselves. She saw the spots in the corners of her vision, making her head feel like the only thing inside of it was static. 

_I should sit down_ , she thought, _It's cold. I'm so cold._ But all she could see right now was loose forms with colour and she needed the world to come back into view before she could do anything. 

"I- I didn't - I didn't mean it, I... I wanted to se - send you home. I didn- I'm sorry. I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Emi-nee-," Killua stammered, his eyes wild with fear. He slumped to the cold tiles on the floor, his vision blurring with tears as he could not bear to face her.

"It's okay," Emiko breathed out, and she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince. _Did she just say that?_ It didn't feel like it belonged to her. Her voice was trailing too slowly, like her words were unwilling to take flight. Her stomach lurched, it felt like her innards were being replaced by some kind of black hole, "I...llumi?"

Illumi watched as she silently stumbled, giving him barely enough time to shoot out his hands. She crumpled into his arms, like a puppet suddenly released of their strings.

"Illumi," she said in a voice barely audible.

Emiko felt the blood flow thickly over her fingers, warm. She held her hand to the wound, but no matter the pressure she applied the blood had still gushed between her fingers and oozed under her hand. It had spread into Illumi's outfit, and despite the pressure he applied the blood pool darkened, taking on a brownish hue. 

"Wh-What's happen..ing?," she managed to choke out, bringing her hand to touch his face. Blood trailing down her throat caused more breathlessness, like the air around her was devoid of oxygen. Her ribs heave up and down but no benefit comes, "Am- Am I dying...?" 

Illumi's hands trembled at his sides, in a mixture of anger and frustration. He wanted to kill Alluka. He wanted to save Emiko. _Was she going to die?_ His racing thoughts betrayed the look of indifference that settled on his features.

Killua's heart nearly stopped. _What has he done? Why couldn't he have made up his mind earlier? Why couldn't he complete his request before jumping into a conversation? How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so oblivious?!_

In Killua's state of panic, his brother did something that managed to appall him: He took Emiko's hand in his and pressed a soft kiss onto it. And there, perched on her ring finger, was a diamond that shone in the gloominess of that room, a stark contrast to what was happening all around it. 

Killua felt his stomach lurch so fast he almost vomited. He could feel the throbbing of his own eyes, a ringing vibrating in his ears, and the thumping of his heart against his chest. His fingers are curled into a fist, nails digging into his palms, "... Emi...ko... Zoldyck?"

_Family._

Contended by Illumi's soothing gesture, Emiko felt her eyelids grow heavy once more. 

"You're not dying," Illumi said through gritted teeth.

He grunted and shook her lightly. She clasped his arm weakly in response.

“Can you hear me? Stay awake.” 

Despite his wishes, her vision grew hazy and out of focus once more, until her head lolled over to look at the ground.

"Illumi? I'm sleepy," she mumbled. 

_Now I can close my eyes…_

“No, stop that," Illumi spoke louder, more rushed as if there was a ticking clock dragging out her remaining minutes, echoing tauntingly in his ears. Her hair tumbled over her face and so he swept it back, tilting her head up once more.

"Let me sleep."

“No. Look at me. Open your eyes."

_…just for a little while._

"I love you," she whispered.

Something deeper bloomed that night. A red string of fate that choked her with sheer disbelief when he embraced her so gently, proving to be the personification of _Eros_ and _Agape,_ pressing his lips over her so tenderly that her heart thought this was all some sort of elaborate ruse. 

Emiko's lips stretched into a smile but didn't quite reach her eyes. They were lit with sadness, and the forced expression of the contrary on her mouth would have looked comical to Illumi if it didn't make his heart feel a little heavy. 

“Emiko? This isn't funny.” His tone had changed. Became more urgent and forceful, and with a great amount of effort, she turned her head to comply.. It was difficult to stay focused, but Illumi's iron grip still on her hand seemed to keep her grounded.

She barely discerned what was going on, but felt him lean down, his forehead touching his own as his long hair tickled her cheeks. 

“Stay alive. Wake up.” But this time, there was no response other than an intensification of the grief. She stayed unmoving, her eyes closed and her face relaxed. He felt for a pulse, finding only warm skin but no sign of life. He stopped for a moment to give her a rough shake, his hands slightly shaky as he left a bloody hand print on her upper arm. 

Killua could only watch his brother cradle her in his arms. There was a look in his eyes he had never seen before. _He did this. How could he have done this?!_ Killua took a step forward, only to stay frozen in place. One look at Illumi and he knew that the consequences of this would be catastrophic.

Killua knew how terrible Illumi was at expressing his feelings, so with a traumatizing event like this one, he knew his brother was going to wreak havoc. He was going to be destructive. To approach Illumi in the midst of his mind and emotions going through utter _hell_ would be suicide. He could end up killing thousands. Not because he wanted to, but because his eyes and mind were clouded with _so much grief._ There would be so much pain that he wouldn’t be able to take it without physical expression.

Illumi still hasn't understood why she wasn't moving. He thought perhaps something had broken down. He couldn't understand. He didn't want to. Was she dead? No, she couldn't be. She was breathing just a second ago, telling him she loved him. He was supposed to spend the rest of his life with this person. They were supposed to get married. Raise a child together. There were _so_ many more damn things he wanted to do with her.To experience, whether good or bad. She was supposed to be there with him. Alive.

The eruption of Illumi's aura was enormous. Windows started to shatter ferociously. Smoke and fire rushed out. Thousands of pieces of glass and steel, a deadly rainfall, showered down. Alarms - shrill and deafening- erupted.

"Kil," he said in a low voice, his eyes fixed in a stare that could have frozen the Pacific. 

It took Killua a moment to understand. He gasped when the realisation downed on him.

"I- I know," Killua frantically ran to his side, eyes tearing up at the sight of it all. His breath hitched once more when he saw the ring on Emiko's ring finger. Alluka still in his trembling arms, he shook her gently, "Something. Wake up. Listen to Illu-nii. Please."

"'Kay."

Illumi could feel burning rage hissing through his body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. The price he would need to pay for this did not matter in the slightest. Nor the lives that could be lost. 

Illumi held Emiko in his arms, and without another moment of hesitation, he said,

"Something. Bring her back to life."


End file.
